Reincarnation
by Dorkylokifan
Summary: Post Thor TDW AU in which Loki really did die while helping Thor. In this verson Queen Hel is not Loki's daughter (otherwise it would just be icky) Loki manipulates his way back to the world of the living. Once there he goes on a personal journey to redeem himself and save Midgard from total destruction. This is a Loki/Steve M/F/M. Loki is female a good portion of this story.
1. Chapter 1

Thor looks on as his friends, inebriated and giggling like girls try in vain to lift his hammer. Tony has put his suit on and is firing all thrusters to lift it. The floor is ruined. He's going to be angry with himself in the morning. Tony gives up and lets Bruce take a swing at it. Everyone takes several steps back as Bruce turns green and grows in size. He has gotten better over the last six months at controlling his rage and his actions while in this form. He is actually having a good time. The Hulk snarls, growls, and bellows but he cannot lift Mjolnir. Oh well.

Natasha and Clint tug at it next, proceeding to role play a kind of sword in the stone narrative where Natasha is the princess in need of rescuing and Clint is her knight in shining armor. Only Clint can't lift the hammer so the dragon winds up eating Natasha for dinner. Tony belches.

Everyone is laughing hysterically and for a moment no one notices that Captain America has gone up to bat. Steve reaches down. It's so damn heavy…and yet….is this thing giving? Thor takes notice when he sees the hammer budge, however minisculely and feels a bit of fear, trepidation, and insecurity well up inside him. Just as everyone else in the room starts to take notice of Steve a bright blinding light fills the room knocking everyone to the ground.

A woman appears before them all, but only one person recognizes her. Thor takes in the powerful goddess of Helheim that is Queen Hel, ruler of the dead. She is a fearsome thing to behold. On one side she is all beauty and light, ethereal, lovely, and wise. The other half of her body is a decrepit corpse with a glowing blue eye, exposed bone, and maggots crawling here and there. To look upon her is to know, without being told, that she has the ability to damn or save your soul. Everyone scrambles into a fighting stance and then looks at Thor because…well…she kind of looks like somebody he might know. Maybe. They hope.

"Your Majesty." Thor greets her coldly.

"Your Highness." She greets him back. It is plain on her face she is irritated about something.

"To what do I owe the grace of your presence?" Thor says.

"Your brother Loki." She says. Thor's face softens immediately and then a lump forms in his throat as he realizes that this woman may well have damned his brother to an eternity of torment.

"What news do you have of my brother?" Thor asks with fear plain in his voice.

"Your brother….is a manipulative, conniving, lying little shit." She says. Tony can't resist.

"Yeah tell us something we don't know lady." The billionaire says. She looks at Tony and smirks at him, as though she really does know something about Loki that he doesn't, but she keeps it a secret to herself.

"He's also a shrewd bastard, and he has won a wager against me." Queen Hel states.

"What did he win? Bruce asks.

"The right….to live." She sneers. Another bright blinding light envelopes the room as Loki comes strolling into Avengers Tower like he owns the damn place.

"Hello brother. Miss me?" He says with a shit eating grin. Thor cannot hold back his tears as he runs and embraces his brother. Loki is all smiles as he hugs him. The sensation of being alive again is flooding his very being with pleasure. Queen Hel scoffs.

"Know this Loki, Valhalla may not have wanted you, but I did. I could have made you happy, but you have scorned me and when next we meet I will make the rest of your eternity an existence of misery and pain."

"Oh please, you're just pissed because you don't get to fuck me now. You'll just have to wait until next time." Loki goads her. Queen Hel snarls at Loki, turns and disappears in a huff. "So…..what have I missed?"

XxXxXxXx

The party is definitely over. Thor is sobbing into Loki's shoulder like a baby. Loki is rolling his eyes. Everyone else doesn't know what the fuck to do. Thor has been grieving over Loki for months. Now the asshole that tried to take over earth is back, and Thor is glad to see him. Awkward.

"How brother? How did you manage this miracle?" Thor sobs.

"Never you mind that now, it does not matter." Loki says sweetly. Six months in Helheim atoning for his sins has felt like centuries. Time passes differently in Helheim than in other places, more slowly it would appear.

"We must tell father! He will be so pleased to see you and know that you are alive!" Thor booms.

"He's not my father, and tell him if you must, but I am not returning to Asgard."

"Brother, you needn't fear, father will not punish you. After what you did helping me to save all the nine realms from eternal darkness, father would give you a full pardon. I am certain of it!"

"I neither want nor need a full pardon Thor. I have already stood before Queen Hel for judgment and my punishment for my sins has already been carried out. As a former citizen of the city of the dead Odin no longer has jurisdiction over me, nor does he have any right to punish me for crimes which I have already served my time. I am free to do as I please and go where I please. If Odin tried to throw me back into prison he'd be breaking several ancient covenants."

"You truly are a free man, with a clean slate. You can start over. We can start over." Thor says eagerly.

"You don't have to be so sentimental about it." Loki says annoyed. Everyone is watching the conversation roll out, listening to every detail that Loki willingly releases. Finally someone chimes in with the obvious question.

"So, if you aren't going back to Asgard, what are you going to do now?" It is Tony who asks….of course.

"Yes….about that…..The whole reason I am here at all, really. That little wager that Hel mentioned, that I won, which gave me my life back…." Loki drags his feet, "I wagered that the human race would go extinct within a year without my direct intervention to save it. As it turns out I was right."

"WHAT!" Everyone yells in unison. What is Loki talking about?

**1 week earlier….**

Agent Smith (not his real name) of SHIELD (HYDRA) looks down upon Loki's scepter with greed and ambition. He'd been trying to get on this guard detail for weeks. He wants the scepter for himself. Ever since Captain America exposed the organization, HYDRA has been on the run. They've lost a lot of people and opportunity has finally presented itself. It is the middle of the night and there are only a few other agents on duty. Their security has tightened since the incident in Washington D.C. but that doesn't matter. He has all the access codes he needs to simply walk out of this place. He grabs his rifle bag, unzips it and stuffs the scepter inside.

He picks up his Styrofoam cup of coffee, slings the bag over his shoulder and walks down the hall like he is headed to the gym to work out. He goes through one, two, three, four security doors before he is outside and jumping into his car, like there is nothing abnormal about this situation. He drives for three hours before pulling over for gas in a little farm town in the middle of the Pennsylvania countryside. New York State is just a hour away. It's three o'clock in the morning. It's so dark and quiet even the crickets are too tired to chirp. He grins to himself as he reaches into the car to pull out the rifle bag. He pulls the scepter out and examines it. The blue glow of the stone at the top is very bright in the darkness. The handle is comfortable and well-crafted and the wickedness of the whole damn thing just makes him itch to play with it. He walks away from his car and the gas station to the grassy meadow across the highway.

He swings it around a time or two, much like a child that has gotten a wooden sword for a Christmas present. He laughs in a giddy fashion and then turns, pirouettes, and thrusts the scepter in the air. He does it partly for show, but also because he was hoping the scepter would do something. He is only met with disappointment. He wishes absently that the scepter had a user's manual. He's seen the various footage of Loki using the scepter. He saw the wonderful, powerful, awful things that the scepter can do. He wants that power, but he doesn't know how to wield it. He doesn't even know what 'it' is that he is wielding. Humans don't know what infinity gems are. They've never heard of them.

He continues to swing and twirl the scepter around like a damn baton. He has no respect for the weapon in his hands, and so it is no surprise when the scepter slips from his grasp and falls to the ground. It falls tip first straight into the earth like a dagger piercing a heart. The resulting burst of power vaporizes the HYDRA agent instantly. The scepter stands there alone in the dark pouring its dark energy into the ground poisoning it.

It is another 2 and half hours before other HYDRA agents catch up and find Smith's car. After a quick search of the area the scepter is found and recovered. In a perfect circle spanning a 2 mile radius from the scepter there is nothing but dead grass and plant life, and the circle is spreading. The pestilence is spreading slowly like a ripple of water over the surface of the earth. Within just 6 months all plant life on planet earth will be dead.

**Fast Forward to Avengers Tower….**

Jarvis pulls up the local news coverage of the farm land in Pennsylvania. Scientists think it must be some kind of fungus or mold that is killing all the grass and crops. They are baffled by the perfectly circular growth pattern, however. Nothing in nature is that perfect. From the air it looks like some sort of alien crop circle. Only now it has covered the entire town and it is still spreading. No one knows what it is or what to do.

"That's not a fungus. That is the scepter, MY SCEPTER that did that. That is dark magic that is slowly strangling the life out of your precious world. Only magic can combat it. If that poison is left to grow unchecked it will kill all plant life everywhere. This realm is slowly rotting to death."

"Well hop to it then! Chop chop! Go do your Harry Potter thing and fix it." Tony says blithely.

"I will….once I figure out how." Loki says. Everyone breaks out in a cold sweat.

"You don't know how to fix that!" Natasha yells.

"Not exactly, it will require a bit of ingenuity and research on my part. One thing that I do know is that I will require the scepter to fix it. So do any of you have any idea where….it…is?"

Thor looks around sheepishly, as do the others as the Avengers realize that they have no idea where the scepter is. In fact, they had, as a unit, forgotten about it entirely. Ever since HYDRA was exposed they had all been busy capturing the enemy and dismantling HYDRA's network of evil. No one had given the scepter a single thought. After a long moment of silence Loki sighs.

"Why am I not surprised? Thor you stupid oaf. You left a powerful weapon in the possession of the human race and not only did they lose it, they let it fall into the wrong hands and all life on Midgard is going to end as a result. It's like giving a loaded gun to a small child. How could you be so careless?"

"I'm not the one who brought it here in the first place!" Thor deflects. A shouting match between the brothers ensues and all the old blame and grievances return to the open. The situation is deteriorating fast and they are wasting precious time. Steve puts his fingers to his lips and whistles LOUDLY.

"We don't have time for this. It doesn't matter how we got here, it only matters what we do now. Tony-get Fury on the line. Let him know what is going on and get whatever SHIELD files you can that might tell us where the scepter went. It is late. In the morning we will begin our search. As for you…" Steve turns to Loki, "You have homework to do. We will find the scepter; you start working on what to do with it once you have it back." Steve orders.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning sunshine pours in through the window of Loki and Thor's room. The other Avengers were too nervous to give the God of Mischief a room all to himself, so he bunked with Thor. Even though Thor snored like a buzzing chain saw the entire night, Loki loved it. He'll never admit it in a million years, but yes, he loved listening to his annoying older brother make noises like a mating bilgesnipe.

The great golden god had even snuggled up into Loki during the night, mistaking his lean form for Jane's no doubt. Stupid oaf. Loki extracts his body from Thor's vice grip and pads out of the room to find the kitchen. Food is something you miss when you are dead. Loki opens the refrigerator and pulls out some grapes, an apple, some nice stinky cheese (Brie perhaps?) and brews up a nice pot of hot chamomile tea. It is the perfect breakfast for his first day of new life. He ponders absently as he eats, about the weights of his old life that keep holding him down. When this is all over, he is going to start over somewhere where no else knows him or has ever heard of him. He can be a new person. He just has to repay a debt.

Loki closes his eyes and reaches within to tap his magic. It has been gone from him for so long. One of the drawbacks of being dead and not having an actual body. He can _feel_ things again. Loki reaches his hand out to open up an astral pocket. It is the place where he likes to stash all his things without having to actually physically pack them around. To his delight it is still there and so is all his stuff. This is good because most of his most precious and rare spell books are kept here. Without them he would have had no choice but to go back to Asgard just to get research materials. He pulls out a particularly dusty fragile tomb and starts flipping through the pages.

"Hey Professor Snape! I know that you being dead and all makes you think that you are somehow magically absolved of all the shit you did to us, but you're not! We don't trust you. Not even a little bit." Clint says as the other Avengers emerge from their bedchambers. The kitchen is the natural meeting spot in the morning for the team, and to get their coffee fix. Looks like animosity is on the menu this morning as well.

"Loki has paid for his crimes and deserves a chance to start over and prove himself. We should give him the opportunity." Thor appears from nowhere to defend his little brother.

"Bullshit! I'm sorry Thor, I know you love the guy, but not for one single minute do I buy that he is reformed or improved. How do we know he isn't just gonna try and enslave the earth again?" Clint says.

"Would you like me to describe to you in detail the exquisite torment and pain that is the realm of Helheim? Atoning for one's sins is quite painful, I can assure you." Loki drawls.

"Good! I hope it hurt like hell you murdering son of a bitch!" Clint yells.

"You would do well not to insult the memory of my mother." Loki says in a very low dangerous voice. Thor glares at Clint with a murderous rage. Both Asgardians took that insult very literally. He could care less about pissing off Loki, but Thor is his friend. Clint realizes his fatal error and back peddles.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know you guys love your mom. I'm sure she was a nice lady." Clint apologizes.

"I don't expect you to trust me, nor do I plan on earning it really. So let me put it to you this way….What choice have you got?" Loki says rather rudely. Steve and Tony scowl at him as they enter the kitchen. Clint tries to hold back the murderous rage he feels towards the God of Chaos. He'd love to do nothing more than rip Loki's God damn face off! Surprisingly, Bruce is the calm one.

"Look, we aren't just going to hand over the spear of destiny, Loki. We aren't that stupid. You can also bet that at any time you are in the same room as the scepter, I will be there to grab you by the ankle and swing you about like the puny god you are if you try anything." Bruce states.

"Suffering an eternity in torment is not on my agenda. My former ambitions have lost their appeal."

"So you're afraid of burning in hell for all of eternity. Good to know." Steve says flatly.

"Hel is the ruler, Helheim is the realm." Loki corrects, confusing Steve momentarily.

"We're just letting you know that if you try to pull anything, we're gonna beat the shit out of you." Tony says.

"Let me know in advance and I'll be sure to supply you with whips, chains, and a riding crop." Loki says in sultry goading voice. Steve's face blushes bright red.

"Ew." Clint says.

"If you are quite finished with setting my boundaries, I have work to do. I have a lot of research to perform in order to save this wretched little world of yours; I suggest all of you go fetch!"

"Why do you want to save earth?" Steve asks quietly. Leave it to the soldier to inquire about his motivations. Loki is impressed.

"My reasons are my own." Loki says cryptically. It is as much of a non-answer as Loki is willing to give. Steve thinks to press further but there is something in the way Loki holds his posture that makes him relent. Loki just looks….tired. It is the look of a man that does not expect his truth to be believed, and so he doesn't even want to bother trying. Steve lets it go…for now.

The argument ends there without further clarification. Everyone is too tired to really dissect the things Loki has said this morning. Besides, they have a long day ahead of them. Stark has found several possible locations of the scepter and team has to investigate every one. It will be the scavenger hunt from hell. Helheim. Whatever. Coffee is brewed up as eggs are scrambled and bacon is sizzled. Loki makes a face. How can they eat such heavy food at this time of day? The crew eats and then everyone goes their separate ways to shower and dress.

They all rendezvous in the living room at 09:00. Tony is going to hit up an abandoned ware house in New Jersey while Natasha and Clint go check out a possible lead in Philly. Cap is going to head down to D.C. and see what he might find in what is left of the underground facility there. Nick Fury and Maria Hill have already gotten on the road to head to an old HYDRA safe house in Virginia. Thor is staying with Loki. Not even he thought it was a good idea to leave Loki alone and unsupervised.

Loki flips through the pages of ancient sorcery searching for possible ways to remove the taint from the soil and reverse its affects. The first spell that came to mind turns out to be no good. It is not powerful enough and the damage that has already been done would remain. The soil would remain forever barren. Loki lied when he said he needed the scepter to reverse the damage. He MIGHT need it. He doesn't really know. The mind gem is meant to be used on living _sentient_ beings, not on land and plants. Loki has no idea how the gem managed to inflict such damage. It is almost like the poison in the ground is searching out the mind of an intelligent life form to control… Looks like he really will need the scepter after all. If removing the taint from the ground is anything like removing the influence from one of his mind slaves the procedure should be simple enough.

That still leaves the damaged land to repair. Loki shuts the book and opens up his astral pocket to fish out a different text. This one is just as raged and old, but lighter than the other. It is a book of blessing spells, meant for use in fertility ceremonies or to bring forth a successful crop. Loki feels frustration as one spell after another calls for simple incantations meant to bless ordinary land. But the area he needs to fix was damaged by magic. It needs something stronger, more heavy duty. Loki skips ahead to the end of the book where the more powerful spells are located. Loki's eyes come across an illustration of a magnificent tree with two lovers at its base. Loki's heart stops. He remembers this spell from long ago when first he read this tome.

The Sacrifice of the Loving Womb. As blessing spells go this one is powerful and will drain Loki of all his magical energies to make it work. But this is not what concerns him. It is the physical act required and the subsequent permanent results that give Loki pause. It is a ceremony that requires four priestesses to act as witnesses to two lovers in the center. The lovers mate upon the naked earth with the intentions of creating a child, a special child with ties to the land that is being blessed. It is a spell whose power is born out of an act of love and will heal the land. When the child is born it will possess extraordinary powers in tune with nature. The child will be a nature goddess. The cost to the child, however, is very steep. The child will be mute. Unable to utter a single syllable it's entire life. When the babe cries no sound will ever come out, nor when it laughs, or tries to speak. Moreover, in order for the spell to even be possible, Loki would have to turn himself into a woman and then mate with a willing human.

Loki sees his wishes of starting over somewhere fresh evaporating into smoke. He pulls out another book looking desperately for an alternative method, but he knows there is none. By the time the Avengers get back to the Tower that evening Loki has finished reading every book in his possession, and knows he has no way out. For the first time since leaving Helheim Loki remembers Frigga's last words to him.

**At the gates of Valhalla six months ago….**

_"Mother!" Loki cries out as he stands before the golden gates of everlasting peace and glory. Frigga embraces her son, overjoyed to see him. "I thought I would never see you again, not even in the afterlife."_

_ "Sacrificing yourself to save all the nine realms from eternal darkness earned you your place here." Frigga smiles, but there is sadness in her eyes._

_ "Come mother! We will drink ale in the great hall of eternity together!" Loki says with glee._

_ "No Loki. I'm sorry my son, but you aren't supposed to be here."_

_ "Am I not worthy?" Loki asks with trepidation._

_ "You shouldn't have died my son. You're not supposed to be here, and I have been sent to ask you…to do something very hard."_

_ "What is that?"_

_ "You must find a way to return to the land of the living and save Midgard from utter destruction."_

_ "And how am I to do that? Only one being in the ni…..You want me to go to Helheim! You would have me face judgment and suffer eternal torment when my rightful place is here! And for what? Those worthless mortals who hate me!"_

_ "Yes Loki. I would have you be their savior though they hate you, yet again."_

_ "Again?" Loki asks feeling exposed. How much does his mother know about his first attack on New York?_

_ "Yes again. Your feigned efforts to concur earth lead the Chitauri army straight into its own destruction. Had someone else been leading them, the human race would be extinct already. You needn't pretend to hate them so much." Frigga says sweetly. Loki bursts into tears. He'd agreed to lead the army after much torture, pain, and madness. He never bothered trying to explain what really happened. Who would have believed him?_

_ "And how, pray tell, am I to convince Queen Hel to take me back to the land of the living? Why would I even want to?"_

_ "Look into my eyes my son and tell me you do not wish to live?" Frigga says. Loki bursts into tears at the harsh truth. An eternity in Valhalla surrounded by stuffy honorable warriors is going to bore him to death; well it would if he could die a second time. But he also doesn't want to return to a life where he is Thor's little brother that everyone hates. Frigga senses his hesitation._

_ "Loki dear, I know your life the first time around was hard. You lived in Thor's shadow constantly, and I know that more than anything you want to be loved and appreciated for who you are. What if I told you that you will have the happy ending, though you will have to walk a path of humiliation and vulnerability to get it? Would it be worth it to you my son, to finally find happiness and peace at last?"_

_ "But you love me and see me as I am. I could think of no greater joy than spending an eternity with you."_

_ "I am your mother. I am not enough for you." _


	3. Chapter 3

Thor watches Loki as he flips through his books looking for an answer to this whole mess. The day goes by slowly for Thor. Time passes very quickly for someone that is reading like Loki, but for Thor, it is an agonizing pace. Loki seems contemplative with the first two books and frantic with the rest. Either Loki has found the solution and doesn't like it, or there is no solution. Neither bodes well for the future.

Thor thinks of the circumstances that brought his brother back to him. He wants to know more. He knows Loki is holding back. What is Helheim like? Loki mentioned torture and suffering. What punishment did Hel make him endure? Thor then wonders if Loki saw his mother, but then shakes his head at the notion. His mother would have gone to Valhalla. Loki would not have seen her. Like Mjolnir, only the worthy may gaze upon the gates of Valhalla. It bothers Thor that Loki was found to be unworthy in death. He'd sacrificed himself to save Jane and aid Thor in saving the nine realms from eternal darkness. Loki's other sins must have been too grave to overlook. Trying to commit genocide against his own race is a good reason to damn him. Perhaps, this time things will be different. Loki might be different. He doesn't want to return to Helheim. He'd said as much this morning. Fear of everlasting punishment might make Loki finally turn over a new leaf. Thor hopes.

He hopes.

It is evening when Loki closes the cover on the last book. Steve and Bruce return, as do Clint and Natasha. Tony ran into some HYDRA agents and apprehended them, but they were not forth coming with any helpful information. From what Stark could glean from the information he found at the location, the scepter had not been there in quite some time. He's on his way back now. Nick Fury and Maria Hill will not be back in the city until tomorrow. They have little to report so far and will contact the Tower if anything turns up.

Also on their way to the tower are Jane and Pepper. Jane is returning on a flight from New Mexico. Thor had called her late last night and wanted to be there for him. Who knows what kind of emotional support Thor will need with his dead brother back from the grave. Pepper is flying back from California. Tony tipped her off about Loki as well and did not want to leave her man alone with the guy that threw him out a high rise window.

Over the course of an hour everyone, more or less, descends upon the living room. The Avengers all engage one another on their day's activities. The overall report: No scepter yet. Loki stands and stares out one of those large high rise windows and looks at the city below. He avoids conversation with everyone, erecting a body posture that clearly says "fuck off." His mind is racing.

At some point he is going to have to tell them. He is going to have to tell him what the spell requires. They will laugh at him. They won't believe him. Worst of all, he will have to turn into a woman, be taken as a woman in front of them. Loki's brain is flooded with a life time of memories of being mocked and insulted for using woman's magic. And even though there are far more important and permanent consequences from the coupling, Loki can only seem to focus on the most immediate and embarrassing consequence. His mother had warned him he would suffer humiliation and vulnerability for the sake of mankind. She also said he would be happier for it. If only he'd ignored her and marched through those gates, but he didn't. He couldn't. He can deny Frigga nothing, not even in death. Loki makes a sound mixed between frustration and disgust and turns to face his brother's friends.

He has to mate with one of these hairless apes. The spell requires that the male in question be of the land that is being blessed and be a "perfect specimen." Purity is desired though not required. Loki is not going to let just any human rut him either. If a human is to father a child with him, he wants the best. These people would appear to be the obvious pool from which to choose.

The man of iron has a hole in his chest and a pickled liver. He's out. Clint is a healthy specimen but his previous contact with the scepter's influence is a concern. Besides, there is far too much animosity there. The lovers at the center cannot hate one another. The spell would fail. There is the green one, but Loki has suffered far too many nightmares to have that on top of him. Plus his inner rage monster is also a problem. Thor is…..not human. Thank the Norns. That leaves the soldier.

Loki looks the Captain up and down assessing him. He is a perfect specimen, he is human. He has the reputation of being an honorable man. He's also not bad to look at. As humans go, he is very attractive, even Aesir looking. He even has the increased stamina of an Aesir, maybe longevity too. There is also something else about him, the way the man carries himself. The Captain seems…almost…virginal. It's like the soldier was born to play this part.

The elevator door dings as two teenagers carrying several hot pizza boxes enter the floor. Everyone is starving. No one had eaten since breakfast, except Thor. The smell of the food rings the dinner bell and everyone rushes the dinner table where the boxes are laid out. The two teenagers making the delivery beg for selfies and autographs. After a few minutes of meeting their heroes, Tony gifts them both with a very generous tip and they leave the tower smiling ear to ear. Loki sneers at the strange food but does as the others do and grabs a slice, putting it on a paper plate. They all sit down around the table chewing their food. The ensuing silence creates building tension as everyone's gaze goes to Loki. They all want to know the same thing. Did he find a way to stop the poison magic and save their world? It is the first time since the previous night that the reality of the situation sinks in for them.

They are completely reliant on this villain to save their race and their planet from a slow rotting death. Loki sits there quietly staring at his slice of pizza. His gaze is distant and there is a sadness about him that he is unable to camouflage. Something is definitely wrong. Each crew member looks at one another fearing the worst, that Loki cannot stop this darkness.

"Loki?" Thor inquires softly. Loki slowly meets his brother's gaze and the look in them is frightening. The only other time Thor had seen Loki look that vulnerable was after their mother's death. Loki had ripped his prison cell to pieces. "Did you find anything in your research today?"

"Yes." Loki says quietly, almost a whisper. He swallows hard. "How went the search for the scepter?" Loki asks somberly as he looks back down at his pizza. It is stone cold now.

"We turned up nothing today, but we will venture out again tomorrow. There are other places we need to search."

"I cannot stop the spread of the pestilence without it." Loki says quietly. His eyes are glazed over as if he is about to burst into tears.

"Brother, please tell me what you are not saying. You found out something disturbing today. I can see it."

"You will see many things in the coming days that will disturb you, I'm sure." Loki says looking at Thor and then casting a glance at Steve.

"Loki, whatever it is, if it is required to save Midgard I will support you. Please tell us what you need." Thor tries to encourage him. Loki's eyes lock on Thor's face searching for sincerity. He then turns and glares long and hard at Steve. Steve furrows his brows at the unwarranted look.

"So be it." Loki waves his hand to open up the astral pocket, and retrieves a large red vial. He pulls the cork and downs the contents quickly in front of everyone. Loki cries out as the shift overtakes his body. His facial features soften, his hips widen, his breasts grow….Loki gasps from the pain of it. In a matter of seconds he is transformed into a beautiful female version of himself. His hair is longer and seems to be softer. His waist is small and his hands are even more delicate and softer than before. Loki is a stunning woman.

"What the fuck…." Tony mutters. Loki's breathing evens out after a few moments. She sits up and takes in the looks of the people around her. The humans are shocked. An appropriate response he supposes. Loki looks at Thor expecting to see scorn or disdain. He is met with only concern.

"Thor do you remember our magic lessons from when we were young?" Loki asks in his new female voice. It is light and airy like an angel.

"Very little." The thunderer confesses.

"Do you remember what blessing spells are?"

"Vaguely, I remember that only the most powerful and talented witches could perform them. They require a lot of energy. The most commonly used blessing spell is a fertility spell used on barren women."

"They are also used to bless barren land." Loki adds. Thor suddenly realizes why Loki is so upset and his next question dies in this throat. The others finally chime in.

"So what does this spell entail exactly?" Steve asks. Loki reaches back into the pocket and pulls the tome out. He opens it to the page with the spell and displays it for everyone to see. The illustration shows two lovers copulating as their bodies are pierced by some sort of plant or vine growing up from the ground as four women watch them while they fuck. Steve is awash with dread and foreboding as Loki gives him another meaningful look.

"The Sacrifice of the Loving Womb. The spell is powerful enough to repair land damaged by dark magic. It requires a powerful sorceress and four priestesses to assist. I use the term priestess loosely since they must be human and humans have not practiced powerful magic such as this on Midgard in centuries. I can't use trained priestesses from Asgard. I will have to endow human women with special powers and train them how to use it. The male…." Loki stammers and then swallows hard. Tears start falling down her face as she explains. "The male must be a perfect specimen with ties to the land that is being blessed. His purity as well as that of the female is desired though not required. The emotional state of the lovers is important. For the spell to work the lovers must…. be joyful and… …pour their hearts into the land. Signs of their success come when the vines start to grow and envelope the pair. It is frightening to watch, but not dangerous. The lovers are not harmed." Loki stops to turn the page. What everyone sees makes them gasp collectively. On the next page is an illustration of a pregnant woman and then a beautiful baby girl.

"The end result…..the end result…." Loki trails off. She can't keep it together anymore. She turns on her heel and runs back to Thor's bedroom to hide. Thor looks at the words written in the Aesir language and reads them aloud.

"The child of ceremony will be blessed with great power over plant and animal but will live a life of silence, never hearing the sound of its own voice. The child will be mute." Thor finishes and looks at Steve. Everyone does.

"Steven my friend, it would appear that Loki has chosen you for this task."


	4. Chapter 4

Steve's face turns bright red as his friends all look at him with a mixture of sympathy and disbelief. Though everyone in the group has wondered at Steve's sexual experience most assume that he's done it _at least_ once. He's always refused to answer questions on the matter. It's not for lack of wanting to; it's just…before the serum no girl would give him the time of day. His friend Bucky had tried to set him up with a prostitute once but the prospect of paying a girl to take his virginity just turned Steve off. After the serum there was the war and Peggy, whom he loved and wanted to marry. Since waking up from the ice Steve has been too lost, disoriented, and well… busy to mess around with girls.

"Soooo….Steve…..are you a virgin?" Tony asks wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm not answering that."

"So yes then. Okay. Now we know why Loki picked you."

"We don't know that he picked me." Steve deflects.

"Steve Loki's been giving you the evil eye all throughout dinner. You fit the criteria. It's you! You're the guy." Natasha says.

"No! No No! I can't have sex in front of other people! Or get Loki pregnant. Can HE even get pregnant? I know Loki just turned into a woman but it that even real?" Steve asks.

"Loki normally casts illusions to change his appearance, but an illusion is not the same thing as actually becoming a woman. There is more than one way to do it. Drinking a potion makes the effects very permanent. Loki would have to drink another potion to change back to his normal appearance."

"So Loki really is a girl now?" Clint asks.

"Yes." Thor replies.

"And _she _wants to have sex with Steve? And make a baby?" Clint says.

"The child is a byproduct of the ritual. It is first and foremost a fertility spell designed to bless the land and protect it from future harm. The child will grow up to become a protector of the realm."

"But it can't talk. Why is that?"

"Blessing spells this large and powerful usually call from some kind of recompense in exchange for what is being given. Loki is sacrificing his body to make this spell work. The child gains great powers over nature but must sacrifice its voice. All Steven has to do is breed her."

"It's a bit more complicated than that Thor." Steve says. Again Steve wonders why Loki would even volunteer to do this. What does Loki gain? The scepter? Is that all this is about, him getting the scepter back? How badly does he want it that he is willing to humiliate himself and get pregnant to get his hands on it?"

"I need to talk to Loki alone." Steve says. He gets up and leaves the dining room heading towards Thor's bedroom.

"What about these four human priestesses? Who are they going to be?" Bruce asks. Everyone looks at Natasha. Thor looks at the text to see if they have any criteria to meet. He reads aloud again to the others. The four priestesses will represent the four cardinal directions as well as the four primary magical elements of soil, air, fire, and water. The priestess representing soil will have the largest role of the four in the ceremony. She will be required to lead the chants and funnel energy of the others to the lovers in the center.

The elevator dings and the doors open up to two much missed females. Pepper and Jane stroll onto the floor looking for their boyfriends. They ran into each other at the airport and shared a cab to the tower. They talked about Loki the entire way back. Pepper has never met Loki and is afraid, but Jane's feelings are more mixed. He did die while protecting her and saving Thor from the dark elves. Even though Loki tried to take over earth she is having difficulty hating him just now. Her feelings towards the man could go either way. Jane relays her experience with Loki while on the alien world to Pepper. "The thing you need to know about Loki is he's like a feral cat. He's a smartass and a cynic and he's really fucking arrogant. He also saved my life and Thor's so I don't know what to think." Jane had said during the cab ride.

"Hey!" Tony yells as he spies his girlfriend, CEO, and problem fixer. He jumps up from his seat and wraps his arms around her giving her a hug and a kiss. Thor does the same with Jane and both couples look very happy to see one another. The women look around.

"Where's Loki?"

XxXxXxXx

Steve knocks on Thor's door feeling lost, and silly, and he just doesn't know how he feels about all this.

"Come in." He hears the muffled voice. Steve enters the room to see Loki standing at the window again with _her_ back turned. She's still wearing the black leather pants and green tunic from before, and yet her new proportions make the outfit look completely different. She is most definitely female. Her hair grew a lot at the table and almost reaches her ass, which is round and firm. She looks over her should to see who it is.

"Eager to get started are we?" She says accusingly. Her voice is bitter and there are tear track marks on her face.

"Look we need to talk about this. It obvious you don't want to do this. So why are you? Is it so you can get your hands on the scepter again? Because that is the only reason that makes sense to me. Why are you doing all of this for us? It's not like you have a great love of humans."

"When this is all over Thor needs to take the scepter back to the weapons vault in Asgard. It has no business being here. It should never have been left in the care of your people." Loki says quietly not looking at him. Steve purses his lips in frustration. He is in no mood to play a game of words with Loki.

"Damn it Loki! Answer me!"

"I don't know!" She shouts. "My mother asked me to do this. She said I was the only one that could. The scepter is imprinted to me, and the only other beings in the universe with the ability to wield it properly have no interest in saving Midgard. They want to see it destroyed. If I don't do this your world will perish."

"Not that I'm not grateful, but again I have to ask, why do you care?"

**When Loki was in Helheim…..**

_"Ah Prince Loki, I knew you'd come to stand before me eventually. Are you ready to face judgment for your crimes?" Queen Hel asks._

_ "As ready as ever I suppose." Loki says flatly. Queen Hel's blue eye glows even brighter as she goes into a trance. Loki can feel the goddess poking around in his memories. She finds a great many things she did not expect about the trickster. His one great crime is his attempted genocide of the Jotunns, many of whom found their way to her realm. His attack on Midgard was not what it appeared to be. After falling through the void he'd gone mad and was picked up by Thanos and the Mad Titan. They'd tortured him. He'd refused to help them for as long as he could until the pain became too much. Why they wanted Loki involved in the invasion in Midgard is beyond her, though she suspects it has something to do with the contents of Asgard's weapons vault. Loki put up a show on Midgard, but it was always his intention to fail, and then he was tossed into Asgard's prison and left to rot. Then he died trying to save the realms from eternal darkness. He'd died in battle._

_ "WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" Queen Hel shouts at Loki. "You are worthy of Valhalla, you should not be here." _

_ "I came to Helheim to usurp your throne and take over the rule of Helheim." Loki snickers. Queen Hel laughs, actually laughs out loud for the first time in centuries._

_ "Still coveting a throne even in death." There are tears of mirth in her non-glowing eye. Loki looks Queen Hel up and down very slowly and openly. The one side of her body is rather lovely and attractive. If you close one eye she can be quite nice to look at. Queen Hel blushes for the first time ever and realizes what it is about Loki that makes him so dangerous. _

_ "Your punishment is as follows: You will meet with every one of your Jotunn victims that has come here to Helheim and listen to them describe their lives and their deaths to you. While you are here you will take on your natural appearance. No more parading around as something you are not. You are a Jotunn. It is high time you look like one."_

_ Loki did just that. For months Jotunns came before him to berate him for the terrible thing he did. He sat and listened to them describe their lives, their hopes, and their dreams and how Loki had taken it all away in a horrible painful death. It was the more thorough and painful punishment Queen Hel could have possibly inflicted. _

Steven listens to Loki describe the things his victims said to him while he was in the land of the dead. Steve has his arms folded as Loki talks with her back to him and her head down. She looks so vulnerable it is hard to believe she is the man that demanded he kneel back in Germany all those months ago. Loki finishes her story and pauses for a moment to collect her thoughts. She finally turns around to look at Steve, really look at him. Her eyes are glazed over.

"I don't want to be the bad guy anymore."


	5. Chapter 5

Loki is given her own room that night since Jane and Thor wish to spend time together. Tony was hesitant at first but Steve said it was okay. In light of the things Loki is able to do, making her have a bunk mate isn't really making them all safer anyway. She is here and they need to make peace with it. He's here. Loki is here. What the hell do they call her? Him? Shit. Steve lies awake pondering the strange turns that have happened in his life. He thinks about Loki wearing that ridiculous horned helmet along with the rest of his over the top outfit. Loki was a diva then, as Stark had described him, but now he's different. Even after the Hulk had tossed him around like a rag doll Loki didn't cry. He winced in pain and sneered arrogantly, and glowered haughtily, but he'd never cried. Not in defeat.

His arrogance is well…not gone… but certainly diminished. Sex. Steve and Loki have to have sex while people watch. Steve tries to think about what it will be like touching _her_ in that way but every time he does all he can see is _his _face. Steve doesn't know if he has it in him to do this. He tosses and turns as he gazes into the darkness. He shrieks, however, when one of the shadows move.

"You scream like a girl." Loki says as she steps out of the darkness into a band of light filtering in through the window.

"Jarvis lights on." Steve says. "What are you doing in my room Loki?" Steve asks as his blood pressure rises faster than an express elevator.

"It occurs to me that the sooner your friends find the scepter the sooner you and I will be forced to be intimate with one another."

"I thought purity was a desired trait for the spell."

"It is. I didn't come here to fuck you Steven. In fact quite the opposite. Intimacy and emotion cannot be faked. If we go into the circle with animosity, fear, and distrust in our hearts the spell will fail. You have clearly never lain with a woman, and I have never sought pleasure while in this form before. So I suggest that you and I get very comfortable with being naked in front of one another, because we will have to do this in front of four other people soon."

"I don't want to make a baby with you." He says bluntly.

"I do not blame you for your trepidation. I do not want to make a baby with you either, but of all the humans I know you were the only logical choice. If we do not do this your world will die."

"Why me? Why not any of the others?"

"Oh please, do not ask questions you already know the answer to. As if I could breed with a lush, a monster of wrath, or the archer who hates me with every fiber of his being." Loki bites out with heavy sarcasm. "The spell calls for a 'perfect specimen' and Stark is hardly that."

Steve's face flushes red as he stares dumbly at Loki for a moment. "So…um…what…what do you want us to do right now?"

"We are going to take our clothes off and hold each other, and then we are going to explore each other's bodies with our lips and hands. We will be doing everything but THAT." Loki says. Steve swallows hard as his hands begin to shake nervously. He is only wearing his boxers. Loki gives him a look of impatience and wisps away all of her clothing with a wave of her hands.

Steve's mouth gapes as he gives her a sharp head to toe once-over. She's stunning. Her long raven hair curls just slightly at the ends as it caresses and curtains her shoulders, arms, and hips. Her breasts are on the large side but still manage to be perky. She has dusty pink nipples. Her waist is slender and her hips are wide. Her pale skin is flawless, and she's hairless. Loki had lamented for many years in his youth over his inability to grow facial hair, or chest hair, or hair anywhere besides the top of his head. Turns out Jotunns don't have body hair, but Steve doesn't know that as he looks upon Loki's rosebud and turns deep crimson. He also feels something else flushing with blood further south.

Loki steps forward and grabs the comforter and tosses it off Steve.

"Take them off." She commands as Steve's pop tent grows. Steve hesitates and Loki sighs, biting back a desire to insult the timid virgin. Teaching Steve how to have sex is not going to be as fun as it sounds. Steve stands up slowly and gets into Loki's personal space. He reaches down, hooks his thumbs into his waistband and slips his boxers off. He maintains eye contact with Loki. He's afraid to look anywhere else. Loki closes the gap and presses her body against Steve's, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. Steve gasps at the contact.

His harden cock is trapped between them and is rubbing against Loki's stomach. He can feel her soft curves against his hard planes and shudders. Loki lifts her head then and presses her lips to his. Steve doesn't allow her tongue entry at first. He's watching her and looking into her eyes to gage her intent. He's waiting for her to turn back into a man, or a beast, or some other form to gain a laugh at his expense.

"Tell me I'm pretty." Loki says.

"Really? You really want me to do that? It won't offend you?" Steve asks surprised.

"I'm a vain creature. (Whether I have a cock or not.)" Loki had wanted to say. She thought better of it though. Reminding Steve that she's really a man would kill the mood she's trying to create.

"You're beautiful." Steve says. He looks into Loki's eyes and thinks of Peggy. Loki's dark hair and bone structure remind him of her in so many ways, and his heart begins to ache.

"Who were you thinking of just now?" Loki asks.

"Peggy, her name was Peggy."

"A woman you loved?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"The long sleep in the ice separated us. I would have married her." He says with longing.

"I can change my appearance and make myself look like her if that would help? You can even call me by her name if it makes you feel more comfortable." Loki offers. Steve seriously considers this for a moment but declines. It would be wrong, and it would only lead to more pain in the long run. No his Peggy is long gone and all that is left is a very old woman in New Jersey who can't remember the names of her grandchildren.

"Kiss me then." Loki orders. She presses her lips to his again and this time he lets her in. Her lips are silky soft pillows and her tongue is wet sweetness. They explore each other's mouths gently and shyly. Loki moves her hands from about Steve's neck and traces her fingers down his biceps, leaving feather light touches. Steve takes in a sharp intake of air. His cock is throbbing so hard it has become painful.

"We are going to get on the bed now and I want you to touch me." Loki says. She takes him by the hand and pulls him down. They sit facing other with their legs spread wide and overlapping each other. Their genitalia are mere inches apart. If Loki scooted just a little closer she could sit in Steve's lap and ride his cock. But that is not what this is. "Touch me Steven."

"Where?"

"Anywhere you want." Loki smirks at him. He touches her arm brushing his fingers down its length. He moves to her collarbone, mapping out the angles with his fingertips. He looks at her breasts and stops. Loki can tell she's going to have to take the bull by the horns. She takes his hand in hers and guides it down, way down between her legs. Steve feels his first two fingers part her wet petals as Loki guides his hand to stroke her. After a moment she removes her hand and lets him take over.

"Explore me Captain. Make me moan." She says with a sultry voice. Loki then reaches out and touches Steve's erection.

"Ah!" Steve yelps as the contact shoots electric pleasure up his spine. Loki rubs her thumb over the head that is damp with pre-cum. She barely strokes him twice before the mighty soldier's seed erupts all over her hand. Loki chuckles at his expense.

"Ah….oh…oh God!" Steve pants. He's so embarrassed. He's touched himself plenty of times but having someone else touch him is a completely different experience.

"I know which god you were referring to just now. You're thanking the wrong one." Loki says with playful sarcasm. Loki words help pull him out of his fog of pleasure. He still has his fingers inside of Loki.

"My turn." Loki says. She lays back and spreads her legs wider to give Steve better access and a full view of her anatomy. "Well? Go on….touch me." She says. Steve starts moving his hand, stretching her labia and stroking her center. He sees the nub above her entrance and strokes it with his thumb. Loki's hips buck involuntarily at the contract.

"Was that good?"

"Yes. Do that again." Steve strokes Loki's clit again eliciting a moan from her lips. He moves his thumb faster over the spot making her pant heavily. Feeling emboldened by Loki's reaction he adds his other hand to the mix, pumping his fingers inside of her. Steve pays attention to what gets a reaction and what doesn't. Within five minutes Loki is a ragged throbbing mess. Loki had not expected to get this much pleasure from him this early on. She is also surprised by the differences in this body from her normal form. She feels more sensitive and vulnerable. Oddly she craves having Steve's large strong body on top of hers, caging her, and making her feel safe.

Loki feels her climax building and her toes start to curl. Her thigh muscles seize and her back arches and suddenly she is screaming.

"Steven!" There is a gush of wetness between her legs and Steven's hands are drenched in Loki's scent. It smells intoxicating to him. Loki's body trembles for a moment as she rides a wave of bliss. Female orgasm are harder to achieve but they are definitely superior. Loki sits up look at Steve and finds he has another erection.

"Well, what you lack in duration you make up for in frequency at least." Loki says. Loki reaches out and strokes Steve again. She maintains eye contact as her hand glides up and down his shaft. His breathing becomes labored. Loki smirks as she leans in for a kiss. Steve begins to make his orgasm face and Loki has to restrain her laughter.

"Say my name when you come Steven. I want to hear it!" Loki says. For some reason at that moment, an image of Loki in his horned full leather ensemble flashes through Steve's head. Like an unwanted intruder on his thoughts, Steve finds his orgasm curling in his gut just as the mental image of male Loki flashes through his mind. He comes hard.

"Loki!" He cries as his dick twitches in her palm. His whole body quakes. He makes high pitched whimpers and whines. Loki is very proud of herself to have reduced him to such a mess. She feels like she has some power back over this situation. Steve is going to become her little pleasure bitch.


	6. Chapter 6

The following morning everyone gathers in the kitchen to discuss their game plan to widen the search. Steve walks in and avoids making eye contact with everyone. He pulls out the eggs and bacon from the fridge and hopes to god (not Loki) that no one tries to engage him in conversation this morning. He's not that lucky.

"Mornin' Steve-O! How's it hangin'!" Tony says in a suspiciously bright and chipper voice. Steve remains stiff as he quietly freaks out. Did the others hear them last night? Did Tony use Jarvis to spy on him? Pepper walks into the kitchen and gives Tony a good morning kiss.

"You're in a good mood." Pepper says cheerfully.

"You'd know. You're the reason." Tony says as he plants another kiss on her. Steve relaxes, letting the tension in his shoulders go. He continues scrambling eggs and flipping bacon as the coffee brews. It is a good thing Tony had the kitchen expanded during the reconstruction. Everyone would not fit in here otherwise. By the time Steve is done cooking everyone is up and ready to eat. Loki slinks into the kitchen wearing an emerald green satin nightgown. Clint gapes at her momentarily with lust in his eyes before he remembers who she is. Natasha smirks at him and gives him the look, 'yeah I saw you checking Loki out.' She even giggles a little. Everybody fills their plate and sits at the table. Steve sits down last, keeping his head down and focused on his food. He is trying so hard to be ignored that the others take notice.

"Steve?" Natasha queries. Steve looks up to acknowledge Natasha and meets Loki's gaze instead. For a brief second there is a weirdness vibe that sparks between them. Steve quickly looks back down at his food as he blushes, while Loki leans back in her chair and grins like the Cheshire Cat. She gives him a once over look that screams 'I can't wait to fuck you'.

"Oh my god, you two did it!" Bruce exclaims. Steve's head shoots up as he goes from bright red to pale white.

"What we do in the privacy of our bedchambers is none of your business." Loki says coolly. Steve's eyes damn near pop out of his head as he glares at her. Thor looks at Steve and feels pity for him. Many times has he found himself in Loki's cross hairs. Steve gets up, dumps his plate in the sink and marches out of the kitchen.

"Loki." Thor says in an admonishing tone.

"What?"

"We need to discuss today's assignments. I'll head to that new lead in Maryland. Clint, Tasha, do you guys want to follow up on that lead in Fremont?" Tony says.

"Lady Romanova needs to remain here today with me, as does Lady Potts, and Lady Foster. I will also need a fourth female to come and join us." Loki announces. Natasha knows what Loki is alluding to but Jane and Pepper have yet to be filled in. Loki re-explains the spell that they must perform to repair the damaged land and what is required.

"Wait, so you want to give us magic powers?" Pepper asks.

"Yes."

"Is it going to be anything like the Aether?" Jane asks.

"No. The power I'll be giving you will only be the tiniest fraction of what you had flowing through your veins and will not harm you like the Aether did." Loki explains.

"Why us?" Pepper asks.

"Convenience mostly. I don't know that many human females and Steven would benefit from your emotional support, since the three of you and one other will be watching us make love and conceive a child." Loki says. Jane does a spit take.

"You guys are making a baby!" Jane gapes at the goddess.

"Yes babies are a common side effect of fertility spells." She insults the woman's intelligence.

"So what are you going to have us do today?" Natasha asks.

"We will be able to begin when the fourth woman gets here. I suggest you all make a selection and contact her immediately. There is a purification process all of you will need to go through which will consist primarily of a 3 day fast and ritualized bathing."

"We can't eat for three days?" Natasha asks.

"That's correct. That portion will have to begin tomorrow. Today will consist of the painstaking task of hand scribing the runes onto your skin. When the third day of fasting concludes all four of you will share a ritual bath to wash away any magical contaminants. Jane will undoubtedly have the most." Loki states. "Then I'll be able to endow each of you with a special power suitable for the ceremony and then train each of you how to wield it. The process should take a week start to finish."

"I see why you want to get started right away." Tony says. "I think Maria is the logical choice. She and Nick are supposed to be back in the city later today."

"Contact her and tell her to hurry." Loki says.

"Wait! Hold on. Thor told me that you are doing some sort of spell to fix all the infected land. What does having making a baby have to do with it?" Jane asks for clarification. Loki rolls her eyes as she hates having to repeat herself.

"Fertility spells are used to bless both barren women and barren land. The particular spell this situation calls for heals the land but has the side effect of creating a child as well." Loki explains with irritation in her voice.

"Did you and Steve really have sex?" Jane asks.

"No. Steven's purity must remain intact until the ceremony." Loki says, though she doesn't hide the naughty grin that spreads across her face.

"Yeah sure Bill Clinton. Whatever you say." Tony drawls.

"Pardon?" Loki says.

"It's getting late and we need to get a move on. Everybody going out to look for the scepter today, meet back here in 30 minutes." Tony says.

"Loki, what do we need to do?" Natasha asks.

"I'll be going through my potions stores and pulling out what I need to bestow the four of you with magical powers as well as the additional items I will need for the main ceremony. I'll only need an hour or so to catalog and prepare everything I need. After that I will meditate to prepare myself. After that I will get started with covering your bodies with sacred runes. Hopefully the fourth woman will be here by the time I am finished with the three of you." Loki explains.

"When you say 'covering our bodies'….." Pepper asks.

"I'll be using a special ink and quill to cover you from head to toe with ancient sacred inscriptions. So yes you will need to be naked." Loki says seriously. Pepper and Jane blush. Natasha doesn't blink.

"Incidentally, all four of you will be naked during the main ceremony as well."

"WHAT!" Jane and Pepper protest. "I can't do this! This is just too weird!" Jane whines. Tony chimes in complaining about Loki touching his girl and he and Steve seeing his woman naked. Loki becomes furious.

"Silence!" She yells as she leaps to her feet. "The fate of your world hangs in the balance. If this ceremony fails this world will die. I am bestowing you with magic powers the likes of which yours species has not wielded in centuries. It is costing me considerable amounts of energy and PAIN to perform this ritual, not to mention the humiliation of letting you watch Steven fuck me. You will not complain or besmirch the gift I am giving you. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Loki hisses.

Jane gulps loudly and nods obediently, as does Pepper. Tony shuts the hell up as well.

"Yes ma'am." Natasha adds. Around the corner, out of view Steve is listening to all of this. He walks back into the kitchen and all eyes turn to him.

"Where should I be today?" He says to Loki.

"You can spend your day out with the others searching for the scepter. You and I have other preparations to make for the ceremony, but that can be done in the evening in the privacy of your bedchambers." Loki says with a very grave tone. Loki is already regretting her cavalier attitude with regard to Steve's privacy at the breakfast table this morning. She should have schooled her facial expression better. It has fostered a juvenile mindset among the group with regards to the sex and nudity portion of the ceremony. This is serious business and it is high time the mortals see it as such.  
>Breakfast abruptly concludes and everyone goes to their assigned task for the day. After dressing Loki goes through her astral pocket and inventories her supplies. She has everything she needs thankfully. Brewing up several potions on top of everything else she has to do would be nothing but a headache. As Loki works Natasha, Pepper, and Jane decide to have a little pow-wow in Nat's room.<p>

"I feel really embarrassed." Pepper says. "I know that Loki is right and that we have to suck it up, but to throw all that at us at once….how could we not freak out?"

"I'm a little creeped out at the thought of Thor's brother touching me and seeing my tender bits." Jane says.

"I know you guys are uncomfortable and you both have legitimate concerns, but look at this from Loki's point of view. He turned into a she just to make this all possible. She has to let a former enemy fuck her in front of an audience of other former enemies all to save a world and a people she doesn't even like."

"So why is Loki doing it? I don't trust her. Him." Pepper says.

"Steve went and talked to Loki last night. I don't know what Loki told him, but whatever it was it was enough to thaw the ice. They clearly engaged in some sort of intimacy."

"Poor Steve. He looked so embarrassed. He's going to lose his virginity to Loki." Jane says. Natasha thinks back to Germany when Loki and Steve were fighting each other and Loki had demanded that Steve kneel. Natasha idly wonders who is kneeling now. The corners of her mouth quirk up just a bit.


	7. Chapter 7

The sickness is spreading. The browned over earth is now covering half of the state of Pennsylvania. It now covers enough land to be seen from space and the fact that it is still in a perfect circle has not escaped the government's or the media's attention. Nick Fury has informed his old contacts from SHIELD of the cause and cure for the pestilence. The scepter must be found. They in turn have informed their superiors at their new government offices where they work. The Avengers now have the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the EPA, and Homeland Security all searching for the scepter. The President of the United States has been informed of the situation as well, and that Prince Loki of Asgard, the former would-be conqueror of Earth is now their only hope for survival. No one is happy about this.

Nick Fury and Maria Hill make it into Manhattan at about 1p.m. They are exhausted and hungry. They were up all night hunting down HYDRA agents and managed to capture one that was forthcoming with information. Tony is there investigating now. All they want is a hot shower and a hot meal, but Maria cannot rest yet. The call she'd received this morning was a strange one. Something about magic and being naked and not eating and…..she kind of stopped listening after that. It was made clear to her by Natasha that it was important and necessary so whatever it is she's doing when she gets to Avengers Tower is fine with her.

They ride the elevator up to the Avenger's Penthouse and get off. The floor seems to be evacuated. They walk through all the common areas and don't see anyone. Aren't the girls supposed to be here? Nick calls out to Jarvis.

"Jarvis where are Loki, Agent Romanova, and the other females currently?"

"Her Royal Highness Princess Loki, The Lady Widow, The Lady Potts, and The Lady Foster are all corralled in Mr. Stark's bathroom sir."

"Princess?" Nick was told by Tony that Loki needed four females for some magical séance. He didn't mention that Loki was now of the softer gender.

Jane and Pepper stare at themselves in the mirror as Loki finishes putting the last of her scribbling on the back of Natasha's right ankle. They are covered head to toe in small alien writing. Their faces are covered, the backs of their ears are covered, their breasts are covered (to include the underside), along with everything else. Loki had stopped short at the hairline of the head and the pubic area. She'd been a little too thorough for everyone's liking. But no one complained and Loki did not tease or show any humor about the situation. Jane had been first up as Loki pulled forth a magnificent quill and beautifully bejeweled inkpot that glowed with power. Having the runes scratched into their skin with the sharpened feather had been very painful, until Natasha introduced the idea of using a sharpie which Pepper produced from nowhere.

"Here. Can you fill this with your magic ink and use it instead of the quill?" Natasha had asked. Loki had sneered at the ugly utilitarian thing, but she had to admit it was more comfortable to hold and write with and it didn't scratch the skin like the quill did. So Loki magic'd her magic ink into the crude writing device and was able to finish much quicker than expected. The ladies hear a knock at the bathroom door just as Natasha is finished.

"Who is it?" They all chant.

"Agent Fury and Agent Hill." Jane, Pepper, and Natasha all pull their sheets about them to cover themselves.

"Okay we are decent, you can come in now." Pepper yells. The door opens and the pair walks in. Nick's What-The-Fuck expression appears immediately.

"Having fun with markers I see." Fury then notices Loki. Tony had mentioned a ceremony of some sort but there had not been time to discuss details when he called. He looks her up and down. Same black hair, same pale skin, same bat shit crazy gleam in her eye.

"I know I do not look like myself but staring is rude." Loki drawls.

"So is trying to conquer earth and killing lots of innocent people. You look good in a dress." Loki scowls and returns her attentions to Maria, looking her up and down like she is livestock for sale. Nick scowls also and quickly looks to Natasha to assess the situation. She is lounging on the edge of the tub wearing a sheet and covered head to toe in markings. Whatever the hell this is, she appears to be okay with it. Nick trusts her judgment, but this is fucking weird.

"The presence of males is wholly discouraged from here on out. I must ask you to leave. Lady Hill if you would be so kind to disrobe, I need to get started." Loki instructs.

"What the fuck is all this!?" Fury yells. Loki rolls her eyes and tosses her head back in exasperation.

"I've got this." Natasha says. She leads her former boss out into the hallway and explains the details of the ceremony to him. Four naked ladies standing a circle, chanting and doing other magic things, with Loki and Steve in the middle….. saving the world.

"Captain America…..and Loki?"

"Yes."

"And you ladies have too….."

"Watch them have sex. Yes."

"And the magic marker?"

"It's necessary."

"O-kay."

"What does Steve think about all this?"

"You'd have to ask him sir. He's been pretty closed lipped about it."

"No shit."

"Do you need anything from me Agent?"

"Just the scepter sir. We are all screwed without it."

"We're looking as hard as we can agent."

"I need to get back in there. Loki needs all of us present for her magic chanting….stuff."

"I know I don't have to tell you that giving Loki the scepter back is a little unnerving for me."

"A few months of suffering eternal damnation seems to have mellowed him out a bit. He's not eager to return there either, the next time around. I have a sneaking suspicion the Queen of the Damned is pissed at him."

"Yeah he's good at that. I'll be down the hall if you need me." He says and then heads to his room for a hot shower and well deserved nap.

Loki finishes with Maria and then utters a chant over the four of them. She tells them to avoid eating meat this evening, but to eat heartily as they will only be allowed water for three days. Their fast will start tomorrow morning and will break at midnight of the third day at which point they will all participate in a ritual bath, and then pig out. Pepper arranges for some Indian food catering for dinner that evening since vegetarian dishes are all that is allowed. She intends to eat a gallon of hummus.

The various team members return, empty handed over the course of the afternoon. By seven o'clock everyone is back and they all dig in for dinner. The ladies all hog a good portion of the food, putting even Thor to shame. This is fine with Thor; he's not impressed with the spread this evening.

"Where is the meat?" Thor whines. He holds up a pita chip with lentil dip dripping from it. It looks like something a goat digested. "I'm not hungry." Thor is not alone. The other men don't appear too interested in the food selection this evening, though they school their facial expressions better than Thor and keep their comments to themselves. Looks like the men will be doing a midnight pizza run.

Loki for her part is enjoying the meal. Back in Asgard he was often alone in his delicate eating habits and aversion to heavy foods. While all the warriors around him would devour half a side of roasted boar, Loki would satisfy his appetite with a small filet of fish, fresh vegetables, and a hot roll of bread. His dainty food often garnered unwanted attention.

The meal concludes and some of the group pours into the living room. However, the ladies sequester themselves to Tony and Pepper's bedroom. Tony is kicked out for the next three days. He has to bunk with Clint since all the guest rooms are full. The girls will need the emotional support of one another as they suffer through the next three days of hunger.

Loki heads to Steve's room and knocks on the door. She's already in her emerald green nightgown. It is satiny and light and hugs all the right curves. Steve answers the door and sees her standing there.

"You and I have work to do." Loki states as she sweeps into the room. She twirls to face him as he shuts the door.

"Loki you and I need to talk." Steve says tiredly.

"Fine but we'll be talking while we are naked and holding each other. Strip." She orders as she pulls the shoulder straps of her nightgown down. It slides off her body like liquid emeralds and pools on the floor around her feet.

"What happens after the ceremony?" Steve asks.

"You're not getting naked. To what specifically are you referring?" Loki asks as she magics away Steve's clothing. Steve frowns at her, feeling violated.

"Our baby. I want to know what you plan to do once our child is born." Steve says, his jaw firm and fixed like he is about to charge into battle.

"We should probably succeed in preventing the extinction of your species before we worry about that." Loki says without conviction.

"We need to discuss this now. You said our emotional state during the ceremony is important, and this large unanswered question only makes me feel anxious, worried, and resistant to what we are trying to do. Are you going to disappear once this is all over?" Steve asks. Loki frowns as she looks away.

"I can't." She whispers. "The child will be tied to this realm, if I try to remove her from here she'll die, nor would I be able to abandon her solely to your care." Loki says quietly.

"So are we going to raise this child…together? How are we going to do this exactly? I know it is very modern to raise children in broken homes these days between children being born out of wedlock, or parents getting divorced. I hate the thought of being a part time father but I don't know what else to do."

"Marriages of convenience, or rather **in**convenience are common in Asgard." Loki states without emotion.

"What?" Steve just stares at Loki, having long forgotten that they are naked. "But you're a man. I….I mean…not right now but….after the baby is born…aren't you going to change back?"

"The thought had occurred to me, but it would only confuse the child. Once she is fully grown I will be able to assume my normal appearance."

"But you'd be living as a woman for nearly two decades!" Steve says astonished.

"Which is not very long, from my point of view."

"So you want to marry me?"

"I'm not a whore and I don't bare bastard children."

"…and you didn't think to mention this earlier."

"I had hoped to broach the topic at a later time and slowly warm you up to the idea."

"When? After you become pregnant? That's entrapment and very unfair to me Loki. I deserve to have some level of informed consent. You're excluding me from making any decisions in this process. How can you expect me to trust you?" Steve asks with consternation.

"Alright Steven, what alternative would you suggest? You are loathed to father a bastard and yet you do not wish to marry me. So what solution do you propose?"

"That's not fair." Steve is agitated, mostly because he knows Loki is right.

"You're right. It is not. I have made peace with this situation. You clearly have not. These last couple of days has been hard for you and a very momentous decision was thrust upon you. Circumstances have denied you your right to choose, but such is the nature of fate. I will give you tonight to come to terms with your plight." Loki acquiesces and then disappears.


	8. Chapter 8

Loki stares up at the ceiling of her room as she ponders her next move. She'd lied to Steve when she said she'd made peace with the situation they were in. She's not at peace. She feels like one of Thor's raging storms, bottled up and rolling inside her head and her chest. The spell is going to fail, and it is going fail spectacularly because she and Steve do not love each other. Love is a required prerequisite. If the scepter is not found soon too much of this planet's surface area will be infected for the rest to survive. Time is not Loki's friend. She can't use a love potion either. It has to be the real thing.

Loki tosses and turns. She knows very little about the soldier. He's mortal, honorable, straight laced, and truthful. He's so boring. Attraction is not a problem either, not for Loki. Loki has lain with other men before, but as a man. He has never known sexual pleasure while in the form of a woman. The experience will be interesting to say the least. Loki just wishes she had a more experienced lover taking the reins. Instead she has a white bread eating vanilla virgin fumbling with her new lady parts. Surely the do-gooder is more interesting that what he appears to be? They need time to get to know each other, to court one another, but there is no time for that. Once the ladies are blessed and trained up all they will need is the scepter and the ceremony will be a go. Except that the two most valuable players in this game are going to walk into the circle with fear, animosity, embarrassment, and distrust in their hearts.

_'Why am I doing this?'_

It is a question Loki has asked herself a thousand times in the short couple of days since her return. In the beginning it was because Frigga asked her to. Then it became about outwitting the Queen of Helheim, which was wicked fun. Loki feels a pang of guilt towards Hel just then. She wasn't evil or cruel; she's just a lonely woman really. Eternity with her would not have been so bad. It's just the rotting corpse half of her body is disgusting. Ugly people need love too though.

**While in Helheim….**

_Though Loki had expected some sort of torment or punishment in Helheim for all his misdeeds, he had not anticipated the horror of being confronted by his own victims. There had been tens of thousands each taking their turn to berate him. It took months to get through them all. The little Jotunn children that were paraded in front of him crying and screaming at him for what he'd done wiped away all his arrogance and ego. In his moment of despair and bitterness Loki had transformed into the monster he feared everyone would think him to be. He'd tried exterminating his own species. The last straw came when Laufey came before him and called him a blood traitor to his own people. Loki had snarled at him and demanded to know why Laufey had left him to die. _

_"Runts are incapable of surviving the harshness of our world. Trying to keep a runt alive is an exercise in cruelty to both the child and the mother as the babe slowly succumbs to the ice or starves to death. Killing you was a kindness." Laufey had said. Loki had called him a liar and a monster and Laufey accused Loki of the same. Their screaming match had been epic and Loki knew then in his heart he had no father. _

_Laufey was the last one. With his punishment complete, Loki returned to Queen Hel to inquire about his next round of punishment. However, she had none to assign him and seemed a little perplexed as to what she should do with Loki. Loki saw an opportunity. Queen Hel was trying to disguise the desire in her normal eye. She looked Loki up and down like a piece of meat. Here now was the chance for him to return to the land of the living. _

_Loki returned Queen Hel's wanton gaze with one of his own. He walked to her like a slow moving panther, ready to pounce and fuck her like a beast. Which he did. He fucked the Queen of Helheim senseless, and she fell hard for Loki. No one had ever looked at her with desire, no one, let alone touched her. _

_"Perhaps your next punishment is to be my sex slave for the rest of eternity." She says while curling up in bed into his side._

_"That punishment doesn't really fit with the sins I've committed." _

_"No I suppose not." Queen Hel sighs. It is part of her duty and covenant to make the punishment fit the crime. Her disappointment is apparent in her voice. However, Loki also knows that it is within Queen Hel's power to strike a bargain or make a wager. Loki brightens his voice to a light and teasing tone._

_"I'll wager you then, that within a year the people of Midgard will all go extinct without my direct intervention to save them. If I win I get to return to the land of the living, and if I lose…" Loki lowers his voice making is seductive as he takes flicks her one dusty pink nipple with the tip of his tongue, "…then I will be your utterly (kiss) wanton (suck) and willing sex slave (nip) for the rest of time."_

_"You make a wager you know you will lose." Hel says as Loki takes her one beautiful breast into his mouth. She keens from the sensation. His wager is ridiculous. It'll never come to pass. She agrees and seals the wager with a magical bond. Loki fucks her twice more that night, and Queen Hel is convinced she saw the gates of Valhalla._

Loki brought the scepter to Midgard, and if this world dies it will ultimately be Loki's fault. He blames Thor for leaving it in the mortals care, and the stupid oaf is partly responsible for the disaster, but if Loki is to be honest with herself she will be to blame if the mortals all perish.

XxXxXxXxXx

Steve is sitting in church looking for answers. He doesn't know what to do. He feels lost. The church is full of people. Where did these people come from? Suddenly, he's not sitting in a pew anymore; he's standing at the altar. There is a bride walking down the aisle towards him. He cannot see her face because it is hidden under a veil. She stands beside him and Steve lifts the veil. It is Loki, male Loki and now he is wearing his horned helmet, but he is still wearing the wedding dress.

"Fuck me." He says to Steve. Steve looks around. The people are looking at him expectantly.

"Well are you going to fuck him or not?" Someone yells, and then Steve is naked and fucking Loki on the altar. He's enjoying it too. Steve ruts into him like a wild animal as Loki moans loudly.

"Kneel."

Steve sits up out of a dead sleep. The weirdness of this situation is getting exponentially worse with each passing minute. He hates her, or well…him. Steve keeps thinking of that smug pompous jackass that ordered him to kneel back in Germany all those months ago. It was simpler then. Steve knew who the enemy was and he knew how to fight him. He is completely out of his depth in this new…situation. Even more aggravating is that he feels like he has lost all control over his own body. The heavy petting he'd engaged in with Loki last night has fogged his mind all day. He can't stop thinking about sex. He's been a virgin for too long.

The homoerotic dream is adding another layer of complication that Steve just can't handle right now. Something inside Steve snaps. He jumps out of bed, opens his door, and walks down the hall to Loki's bedroom. He opens the door without knocking and closes it quietly. Loki is asleep, finally. If he cannot find rest, then neither will she. He strides right over to the bed and yanks the covers right off her. Loki startles awake.

"Steven?" She asks surprised. She is wearing that damn emerald nightgown again that makes her nipples hard and show through the fabric. Steve's reasoning is gone. He doesn't even know why he came here or what he plans to do. All he wants is to feel in control again, to feel dominant again. He hasn't felt this small and helpless since before the war…and the serum. Loki moves to sit up but Steve grabs her wrists and pins them back down to the bed. Loki quirks an eyebrow at him.

"What is this now?" Steve bends down and kisses Loki violently. He then dips lower and bites her shoulder hard. Loki is not afraid, merely curious. Is this mortal trying to rape her? Surely he knows that she could just turn him into a toad and be done with this? Steve Rogers isn't so perfectly boring after all. Steve jerks his body up, grabs Loki's nightgown and rips it off of her.

"Yes!" Loki cries. Steve slaps her hard in the face and then grabs a fistful of Loki's raven hair and drags her naked body from the bed.

"Kneel." He tells her. Loki frowns for a moment at the reference, but decides to indulge him. Clearly he is at some sort of breaking point, and frankly so is she. She is desperate to blow off steam and get out of her own head. She gets on her knees as Steve stands in front of her and doesn't wait for a command. She knows what he wants. She pulls his boxers down and takes his harden cock into her mouth without further preamble.

"Ah!" Steve cries out. He squeezes his eyes shut as the sensation of soft wet suction envelopes his meaty length. It is the most sublime bliss he has ever known. He opens his eyes and looks down at Loki and feels the dark gratification of seeing his former enemy sucking his cock. When she looks up and makes eye contact with him the searing heat of her gaze sets his skin on fire. She sucks him reverently, holding the base with one hand. Her other hand does something surprising. She snakes it up between his legs and parts his cheeks. Steve is confused but he doesn't say anything and he doesn't stop her. She penetrates him with her long middle finger, searching for that one little spot inside….

Steve gasps and keens with a high pitched whine as he bucks his hips and spends his seed deep down Loki's throat. Loki massages his balls as his cock pumps and twitches her mouth. When he is softened she pulls back releasing his cock. She opens her mouth to display the come on her tongue before swallowing it.

"Fuck me Steven."

"But…the ceremony…" Steve pants for air.

"We need this." Loki states. Steve nods. He gives her a hand up to stand. Loki gets close and mutters into his ear, "I don't know what that was but I liked it. Dominate me Steven. Spank me, restrain me, make me forget to think." Steve pushes her onto the bed and climbs on with her.

"Get on all fours." He commands. Loki eagerly gets into position. Steven takes up a position kneeling on the bed beside her and begins to spank her. Loki gasps at the contact.

"That's it Steven, I've been bad. Punish me." Steve slaps the skin hard and in quick succession leaving a red area on her rear that is looking dark and angry. Loki starts biting her lip to contain her cries. The exquisite pain pushes out all other thought and for the first time in days, Loki knows peace. Steve continues to spank her as his cock gets hard again. A tear runs down Loki's cheek and Steve stops. Loki finally remembers to breathe. The painful sound of her taking in air brings Steve back to his senses. What is he doing!? He'd never hit a woman…or pull her hair…or make her suck his….

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry Loki…oh god…" Steve bends down to kiss her red and swollen ass cheek. Loki moans at the contact and Steve does it again shifting the rest of his body behind her. He continues kissing the affected area going a little lower with each kiss. Loki drops her chest to the bed and shoves her ass in the air as an open invitation. Loki's beautiful pink rose bud is engorged and glistening. He stares at it for a long moment admiring its rich scent.

"Steven please." Loki whines. Steve dips his head lower and licks Loki's pussy. Her thick musky aroma sticks to his lips as he dives into her sweet nectar. He nibbles her hairless labia, sucks on her clit, and penetrates her with his tongue. Loki's whole body is covered with sweat and trembling. "Steven…Steven please….I need you inside me now….please…." Loki begs. Steve positions his body behind hers and guides his cock to her entrance and pushes in.

Both of them groan from the feeling of stretching and tightness. Steve grips Loki's hips possessively and thrusts into her hard.

"That's it Steven. Ride me." Loki cries. Steve grabs a handful of Loki's long dark locks and pulls for leverage. The squelching and slapping noises of their coupling are loud and obscene. Loki is amazed by the pleasure she feels with this body. The desire to be filled is overwhelming and blocks out all else. They arch their hips, clench their muscles, and moan each other's names. Loki is amazed by the Captain's stamina and strength and for a little while pretends he is being overpowered in the most delicious way.

"Steven I'm think I'm coming…" Loki yells as a strange cramping deep inside her takes root and begins to squeeze the life out of Steven's cock. The constriction is the final straw as he finds his peak and releases his seed inside of Loki's womb. They cry out together.

The pair pant as they come apart and collapse onto the bed. Loki curls up into Steven's side as he puts his arms around her. His first time having real full on sex had been mind-blowing. The pair quickly fall asleep too exhausted to try think about what they'd just done. Loki's last thoughts before succumbing to unconsciousness, is that getting the spell to work might actually be possible.


	9. Chapter 9

Loki and Steve awake the following morning as the sun fills Loki's room with bright light. It is early. Steve is spooning Loki and they are both still very naked. Loki feels disgusting. Her body is covered in dried sweat and there is stickiness between her legs that is very unpleasant. She needs a bath. Now. She goes to move but feels a strong arm around her waist pull her closer. She also feels Steve's morning glory rubbing against her backside. She rolls over to face him.

"Good morning Captain." She purrs. Her cat-like green eyes watch as his lids open and his pupils slowly focus on her. She watches the emotions play across his face. First confusion, then lust, and then shame. Oh yes, guilt is being served for breakfast this morning.

"Before you start stuttering your apologies, you should know that I enjoyed myself immensely last night."

"How can you not hate me? I wanted to hurt you, I-I violated you."

"You did nothing of the sort. Everything you did was only possible because I allowed it. The real question is what put you in such a state in the first place? You had many reasons to do what you did, so which one was the last straw for you?" Loki asks with curiosity.

A look of horror and embarrassment sweeps over his face again, making Loki even more eager to hear the reason. It must be a naughty one. For a moment Steve looks as though he will not tell her, so it surprises Loki when he confesses, "I dreamed about you last night." Then the silence returns.

"Go on."

"I dreamed I was in a church and it was full of people. It was our wedding day." He mumbles. Loki watches him intently and smiles at him reassuringly. "I couldn't see your face as you were coming down the aisle because of this big vail you were wearing. When I pulled it back you looked like you… as a man, and you were wearing that big helmet of yours. But you were still wearing the wedding dress. And then you said…..and then you told me to fuck you, and I did, on the altar, in the church in front of everyone."

"Are you attracted to my male form Steven?" Loki asks. Steve turns the deepest shade of magenta and Loki knows the answer is a resounding yes. He casts his eyes away from hers. "It's alright Steven. There is nothing wrong with you. I imagine someone as traditional as you does not want others to know your secret appetites. No one ever has to know. What we do in here is private and no one else's business."

"The spell, did we ruin it?"

"No. In fact I think we have a much better chance of success now that we have bonded in that way. Purity is desired but not required. What is required for the spell to work…is love. There are things about me Steven that not even Thor knows. I have secrets upon secrets, and I am willing to share them with you if you keep my confidence, as I am willing to keep yours. This spell will fail and the land will remain rotten and dead if we do not find a way to let each other in. I want you to imagine a life Steven where I am a woman in public and a man in your bed, or a woman still, you seem to enjoy this arrangement of flesh with a great deal of vigor."

"Can you…can you turn back into a man….now?"

"You ARE an eager one aren't you? You had your first taste last night and now you're insatiable." Loki teases him. She can't help it. "I would darling but it would require a great deal of energy that I need to conserve right now. Once I become with child I will not be able to shift back to my male form until after the baby is born. You have a long wait ahead of you before you'll be able to enjoy my body in the manner you truly desire."

Steve swallows hard. He feels broken inside. Men having sex with other men did not happen in his day. It's not that he doesn't like girls. He does, very much. But there have been times that he has also looked upon other men and felt a desire to touch them. He thought it was just envy. Sex was never discussed openly as it is now. He feels broken and wrong. Moreover he is disgusted with himself for attacking Loki and treating her with such….violence. Whether she allowed it or not, Steven cannot reconcile that he committed such aggressive and immoral behavior, or that he possesses such unholy sexual desires. Good men don't behave the way he did. It was sinful and criminal. And yet, Loki does not judge him, or scorn him, or admonish his behavior. He's never been able to let down his guard like this with anyone before.

Loki sees the wheels turning in Steve's mind, but she also feels the stink on her body and decides it is time to stop talking and get up. "Come and shower with me." She says. They go into the adjoining bathroom and turn on the shower. As the steam billows out of the stall Steve touches Loki's arm to get her attention.

"I'm sorry I tried to hurt you. I know you said you allowed it, but under different circumstances what I did would have been….it would have been rape."

"Under different circumstances you would not have done it all. Everyone has their breaking point Steven." Loki says as she hops into the shower. Steve joins her. As he looks at the water cascading down her back he thinks about the attack on the city last year and all the damage Loki has caused to Earth, to Thor, to other people and places. He begins to wonder, what was Loki's breaking point?

XxXxXxXx

Natasha, Pepper, Jane, and Maria awake to their first day of fasting. They'd all had a kind of slumber party in Pepper and Tony's room the night before. Tony and Pepper's bed is very large and all four of the slender ladies were able to fit in it with no problem. They are all lounging around watching My Little Pony Cartoons.

"Do you think they have unicorns in Asgard?" Pepper asks.

"No but I bet they have bacon and eggs, and coffee in Asgard." Maria says.

"No talking about food! That's the rule. It's day one of our fast and we can't cave to food dreaming this early." Jane says. Natasha smiles. She remembers what it feels like to starve. Her childhood had been a harsh one. She remembers the hunger pains of her youth and knows the next three days will be miserable.

"I bet they have Pegasus'." Natasha says.

"We should ask Thor, when we are no longer grounded." Jane says.

"We are grounded aren't we? Like little girls that did something bad and sent to bed without supper." Pepper says.

"I want to know what kind of powers Loki is going to give us for all this suffering." Natasha says. Loki made it clear to everyone last night that under no circumstances is anyone of the male gender to enter the room, nor are any of the four ladies to leave the room. There is a magic ward upon the room to ensure everyone's compliance. For the next three days they are essentially prisoners.

"Do we get to keep them when the ceremony is over?" Maria asks.

"I don't know. Loki wasn't clear on that particular point." Pepper says. "I mean, I got the vibe that it is going to be permanent, but I'm not sure."

"What do you guys think about Loki and Steve….you know?" Maria says.

"I know Loki looks like a girl right now, but all I can picture is Steve fucking Loki while he is wearing that ridiculous horn helmet, as a guy." Jane says.

"And we get to watch." Pepper says with a naughty smirk on her face.

"You know you are a bigger deviant that most people are aware of." Natasha says to her.

"Don't tell Tony. He's got enough deviancies for the both of us."

"Steve is a hot guy, but he's…I don't know….a brother type. I feel weird knowing that I'm going to watch him have sex." Jane says.

"-with Loki. Is odd to any of you that Loki has taken to being a girl really easily?" Maria says.

"Yeah it is, and the fact that he is okay with Steve getting _him_ pregnant too. I'm surprised Steve agreed to do this." Pepper says.

"Considering what's at stake, I'm not. He and Loki both are putting aside their differences to fix this situation. I still don't understand Loki's motivations and I'm still suspicious, but unfortunately we don't have an alternative." Natasha says.

"Don't forget, Steve also gets to see us naked too." Says Pepper.

"I want a cup of coffee."

XxXxXxXxXx

Loki spends the day meditating and gathering her energies, while the ladies quietly starve, and the men search for the scepter. Evening comes all too quickly and the men (+ Loki) gather for a small dinner. Mexican is ordered in. They'd found more Hydra safe houses and apprehended a several more agents but did not find the scepter. Time is running out. The general public is beginning to panic as news coverage of 'The Ring of Death' grows along with its size.

After dinner most everyone goes into the living room to watch television and get drunk. Clint, Tony, and Thor are sharing hushed whispers in the living room, and occasionally looking at Steve and Loki who are lounging together on the couch. It irks him to no end that his friends are gossiping about him and he decides to get up and confront them.

"Is there something you guys want to say to me or ask me?" Steve says. Tony and Clint both quirk eyebrows at each other as they take deep gulps of their alcoholic beverages. It is left to Thor to say whatever is on their minds.

"How is Loki treating you Steven? Are you well?" Thor asks. Surprised by his concern, Steve takes a moment to respond.

"I'm fine….just…fine. Why do you ask?

"It's just, a year ago we were kicking his ass and now you too are looking very….cozy….over there." Clint says.

"Look, I know I don't need to tell you that the circumstances of this situation are odd. Loki and I have to do something very intimate in a very public place and I am coping as best I can." Steve says

"Last night didn't look like coping." Tony says. Steve's blood freezes in his veins. Clint's room is right next to Loki's and Tony crashed with Clint last night. They probably heard everything, or nearly everything. Tony is not smiling or teasing in his demeanor, he actually looks rather serious. And that's when it hits Steve, Tony said 'look' like coping.

"Tell me you didn't….tell me you didn't spy on me last night." Steve says feeling utterly betrayed.

"Jarvis alerted me that there was a disturbance in Loki's room. Now I know you guys know that with Jarvis, surveillance is possible in every room of the tower. With Loki here I took some extra precautions and activated the video feed in her room. I didn't expect to see….well…you looked really angry. I've seen you get angry before Steve but last night you….wow man that was really dark. Are you okay?"

Steve is so angry he is trembling. He doesn't answer Tony. He can't. He turns on his heel and marches to his room, and slams the door shut.


	10. Chapter 10

"What did you say to him?!" Loki yells at the three men. Tony and Clint give Loki an indiscernible look.

"Brother, might I speak to you in private?" Thor asks.

"Fine." Loki stalks off to her room with Thor following close behind. He shuts the door behind them and asks Loki what is on his mind.

"Loki, I know you are a very private person, but I must ask if you are alright. Did Steven harm you?" Loki glares at him. How does he know about last night?

"I beg your pardon!" She screeches.

"Tony's servant voice alerted him to a disturbance in your room. Apparently he has the ability to see what we are doing in our rooms if he chooses to look. He saw Steven attack you last night. Are you alright?"

"As if he could harm me."

"I know your tastes in the bedroom run to….less than conventional fair. But I didn't want to seem uncaring by not asking about your wellbeing." Thor says. "We have not had the opportunity to spend much time together since your return. I've wanted to ask you how you are coping. Is there anything you need from me?"

"And just exactly how is it you know about my private bedroom tastes Thor?" Loki says with an accusing tone.

"Oh come now Loki, you know the walls between our chambers were paper thin. Surely you could hear me just as well as I could hear you."

"You're a damn liar Thor! I warded my room to keep any sounds from escaping, so who told you?! Who was it? Was it Fandral?"

"Fandral? I was not aware that you and he had lain together." Thor says a little surprised. Loki rubs her temples in embarrassment and frustration. She had not warded the sound from escaping her room here at Stark Tower. Steven had caught her by surprise and woke her in the middle of the night for their intimacy last night. She'd simply forgotten to put one in place. She will remedy that today!

"Never mind! I don't want to know who told you. I have a feeling it will just upset me more. How I fuck and who I fuck are none of your concern, or Stark's. He will not violate my privacy again."

"And what of Steven? This may all be simple and easy for you Loki, but he needs time to adjust. He is only mortal after all."

"Easy! You think any of this is easy for me? Look at me! I had to turn myself into a woman. I have to mate with a mortal and bear his child. I have to….." Loki can't finish the sentence out loud. The tears are choking her. '_I have to let a complete stranger and former enemy into my heart and earn his in return. Learning to love is not easy_.'

Loki has had enough. Thor is an idiot and she needs respite from the fools around her. She walks out of her bedroom leaving Thor behind and heads down the hall to find Steven. It's what she is supposed to do. He is to be her port in this storm. It is his roll and duty to comfort her. _Sentiment_. Bah! She's only crying because of all the female hormones, she tells herself.

She doesn't knock on Steve's door. She just walks in. Steve is sitting on his bed brooding when he sees her red rimmed eyes enter. She shuts the door and starts balling. Steve moves to get up but she crawls onto the bed and falls into his arms, crying into his chest. He runs his fingers through her raven black hair and kisses the top of her head. He doesn't know what to say, so he doesn't speak. He just lets her cry herself out. His anger dissipates a bit as he realizes he is not alone in this. She is suffering too. After a while her sobs quiet down and silence fills the room. Steve feels compelled to say something.

"Back before the war and before the serum, I was a tiny runt kid that got beat up- a lot. It was humiliating, but getting kicked in the ribs a dozen times is different than this. This is worse somehow."

"I'm a runt too. My real father abandoned me and left me to die as an infant because I was too small."

"My father used to drink and beat my mother. When I grabbed you by the hair and dragged you off the bed last night it was like all those terrible urges I inherited from him came to the surface. I feel like a monster."

"I am an actual monster. My natural skin color is blue. Did you know that? My eyes are the color of blood. This pale skinned form is just camouflage for what I really look like. When Odin told me the truth I lost my sanity and tried to kill my own people. I tried to kill them because I was told my entire life that frost giants are monstrous creatures deserving of neither kindness nor mercy. I murdered children to prove myself worthy to a man I once called father, only to receive his scorn in return."

"So you do feel remorse." Steve says. It is a statement, not a question.

"Yes. My punishment while in Helheim was to meet with every single one of my victims. Thousands paraded before me to voice their hatred and curse me for what I'd done. I would give life back to every one if I could."

"What about earth. Did you meet with your victims from here too?" Steve asks partly because he wants to know if everyone goes to the same place when they die.

"No, but that was because of a wholly different reason." Loki says cryptically. Loki has yet to tell anyone about the suffering and torture he endured at the hands of Thanos. No one knows he only attacked Midgard because he was compelled to do so, and that he'd planned to fail. He wants to tell someone. He wants to tell Steve, but the story sounds so fantastic it is difficult to believe. Loki decides to show him instead.

"Steven there is something I want to do with you, but I would ask your permission. I want to deepen our bond and I think we can do that by sharing our memories. I'm thousands of years old and to share my lifetime of experiences with you would take decades to relate. I want us to see into each other's minds that we might better understand one another."

Steve looks pensive as he considers Loki's offer. The soldier part of him feels resistant, like this is tantamount to a security breech. However, it would also give him invaluable insight into Loki's mind and way of thinking. Steve realizes that this is because he still thinks of Loki as the enemy. He needs to stop doing that.

"Yes." He replies. Loki sits up and Steve follows her lead. She reaches into her astral pockets and pulls out a small purple stone and holds it in her palm.

"Take my hand." She says. Steve places his hand in hers with the stone in between. Loki chants a few words and within seconds Steve is overwhelmed with a dozen lifetime's worth of memories. Steve's lifetime is but a short flash to Loki, but it is no less insightful. They poke around each other's minds searching for what they want to know about one another.

For the first time Steve sees Thor as Loki does. Arrogant, pigheaded, and rash. Loki has competed with Thor his entire life. Loki knows five different languages, has made friends and allies with various peoples across the nine realms. He knows about crop rotation, inter realm trading agreements, tax collection policies, and ancient peace treaties. He is every inch a trained politician. He even knows how to fight, lead, and keep the army and its weapons in good upkeep. But he does not have their love. The people of Asgard love Thor, not Loki.

Loki also knows women's magic. He has faced insults and derision his entire life for learning this skill. He has suffered humiliation and endured the fear of his countrymen for cultivating power that warriors cannot wield. In the face of all of this, Loki never backed down from being himself. However, after thousands of years of this, bitterness creeped in.

Loki watches with admiration at Steve's short life. He is courage personified. He never backed down from a fight, even when he knew he would lose. Unlike Loki Steve never got bitter over the hand he was dealt, though perhaps that is only because he was gifted with the body he needed to match his heart before such a thing could occur. Steven had been blessed. Loki had been….

_"….cursed?"_

_ "No."_

_ "Then what am I?"_

_ "You're my son."_

_ "What more than that?" _Steve watches the memory play out as if it were his own. "_TELL ME!" _The despair and utter betrayal is suffocating.

"_I could have done it father, for you! For all of us…."_

_ "No Loki." _The rejection is devastating. He lets go and falls into blackness and madness. Expecting death as the void surrounds him he falls for an eternity. Alone with nothing but his mind Loki goes insane. Then bright light finds him. Then pain. A purple skinned creature is hurting him.

"_Bow to my will little prince. Become a general for my Army and I will gift you with the power of the scepter. I will give you an army to conquer and rule the land your brother has sworn to protect. Vengeance can be yours. All you have to do is agree._"

"_No_."

Steve's eyes fly open at the revelation.

"You were tortured. They made you do it. You never wanted to attack Earth. You failed on purpose! Why didn't you tell someone?"

"I am the God of Lies, who would have believed me?"


	11. Chapter 11

Her thumb brushes across his lips and across his jaw delicately. Blue eyes gaze into green. Their hands travel down the other's arm exploring in a lazy fashion. He reaches out and brushes his rough calloused thumb over her dusty rose nipple, which stiffens and peaks from the attention. She copies his movement and is rewarded with a surprised whimper. He leans in and kisses her gently, slipping his tongue past her lips he massages her tongue with his, tasting her. She shifts her body even closer and now their chests are touching, bare and warm, the contact is electric and sweet. They lay like this for a long time, touching, kissing, and caressing. They breathe in the same air and hold one another feeling safe and protected in their little cocoon that they have made for themselves. For this moment, the rest of the world does not exist. Sleep comes gently.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Fuck I'm hungry!" Pepper exclaims as she awakens with a mind splitting headache. Falling asleep last night had been impossible. She'd been too hungry. The other ladies moan in response. The T.V. is on but none of them are watching. The noise serves as some distant far away distraction that none of them are capable of focusing on. Jane stumbles to the bathroom to dry heave. She's so hungry she nauseous. Maria and Natasha are just groggy from low blood sugar. They all feel bitchy from hunger.

"What time is it?" Jane asks.

"10 a.m." Natasha replies.

"Fuck it's going to be a long day." Maria says. Her stomach growls loudly as it gnaws at her backbone.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

It is evening again and the search for the scepter continues. The men eat burgers and drink beer while the ladies quietly waste away to nothingness. It feels that way at least. Thor stuffs a great big greasy burger into his mouth as Loki turns her nose up at the food on the table. Thor looks over at Loki in a quizzical fashion. Loki has always been such a delicate eater.

"Brother! Are you not hungry (Smack, Smack) this food is delicious. You should try some of it." Thor's speech is muffled around a mouth full of food. Steve appears from the kitchen at that moment carrying two plates of food loaded up with left-over rice, salad, and fish. He sets one of the plates down in front of Loki. Loki hadn't even asked Steven to do this. He just did it on his own.

"Thank you darling." Loki says to Steve genuinely. Her smile for him is genuine and so is Steve's for her. Tony, Clint, Banner, Thor, and Fury look at both of them with shock on their faces. Loki and Steven intentionally ignore them as they carry out small talk between themselves. The guys just watch the couple with morbid fascination.

"…mint chip ice cream would be your favorite. I can tell. I'll head down to the store and buy some after dinner. You have to try it." Steve says to her.

"That reminds me, we'll need to have a large feast spread out for the ladies tomorrow night after the ritual bathing is complete. I need to remember to bless the water tomorrow morning for them."

"I'll remind everyone to stay away from the Jacuzzi pool in the gym." Steve says.

"Yes, I imagine your friends would not like to find out what they look like with breasts." Loki raises an eyebrow comically as she looks at the others. They wouldn't actually grow breasts but it would be very dangerous for anyone of the male gender to enter the pool after Loki has blessed it. A small level of healthy fear will ensure they stay clear. Steve chuckles as he eats his meal.

"You want to help me scratch something off the list tonight?" Steve asks Loki.

"Like what?" She asks.

"There are some movies everyone keeps telling me I need to watch. I haven't decided if I want to watch Ghostbusters, War Games, or Trading Places."

"Ghost-busters? What a strange title."

"Ghostbusters it is." Everyone finishes their meal and Steve makes a quick jaunt down to the store for mint and chip.

"You two are….getting along." Tony says.

"How we are getting along is none of your business and I'll thank you to keep your prying eyes away from my bedroom." She says curtly to him. Tony's chest puffs up a bit at the statement. It's his tower and technically his bedroom and she's an unwanted guest. But for once in Tony's life, he keeps his mouth shut.

"What Anthony means Loki is that you and Steven seem to have bonded. I am happy for you." Thor says.

"Thank you." She says. She sits on the couch quietly and alone awaiting Steven's return. She doesn't want to engage any of the others. They're insensitive morons.

Steve returns and Loki curls up next to him with a bowl of ice cream as the movie starts. The guys all decide to linger and watch the movie too. Hey-it's a classic. Everyone's eyes bug out of their heads at the scene where Ray mortgages his parent's house at 18% interest.

"Holy shit that's highway robbery. I forgot how bad it was back then." Tony says. Slimer the ghost appears and Tony can't help himself. "Hey Bruce it's your cousin!"

"Shut up." Bruce smiles. They get to the scene where Gozer appears on the top of Dana's building and asks Ray if he's a god. She zaps them. Winston tells Ray, "_If someone asks you if you're a god you say YES!"_ Loki falls into a fit of hysterical laughter and buries her head in Steve's lap. Her laughing gets worse when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appears. His happy smiling cutesy-pie face is so ridiculous her laughs turn to snorts and her sides hurt from laughing too much. She can't catch her breath.

"Ha…haha…ah….I have to pee!" Loki runs down the hall with tears of laugher spilling down her face as she tries to not wet herself.

"Glad to know Loki has a sense of humor." Fury says flatly.

"In all my years I have never seen Loki so….open. I've never heard him laugh like that." Thor says sounding a little wounded. The silence that follows is awkward and Steve decides it's time to hide.

"Well, time to turn in. Good night." Steve says to them.

"Good night." The men say in unison. They all start gossiping the moment he is out of ear shot.

"Okay seriously, what the fuck is that?" Clint says. "I know they are supposed to be nice to each other but Cap is getting just a little too friendly with the enemy."

"Now see here Mr. Barton, my brother is not the enemy."  
>"Well he….she sure as hell is not a friend. I'm sorry Thor, but I don't trust her. And Steve is getting just a little too chummy with her." Clint says.<p>

"Loki has paid for his crimes. He deserves a fresh start."

"Bullshit! I don't see any remorse from him whatsoever." Clint says.

"I will remind you that Loki does not have to be here. Without him the land that has already been tainted would remain so without Loki's assistance. Steven's as well. What they do, they do for the sake of your world." Thor says with anger tinging his voice. It is clear that the team has still not adjusted from seeing Loki as a threat to a new asset. Thor knows Hawkeye is still angry and bitter from having his mind controlled by Loki. He does not expect forgiveness to come overnight. It is the only reason he is not punching his friend in the face.

"Look everybody needs to relax." Bruce says. He feels the tension building and knows it needs to be expelled. "Loki and Steve have requested privacy and we will give it to them. Especially since they will be sacrificing that privacy once the scepter is found. Just leave them alone and let them do their thing. It will be fine."

XxXxXxXxXx

Loki is still giggling when Steve enters the room. He walks over to her and puts his hands on her waist tugging her close. She kisses him lightly.

"Thank you." She says.

"For what?"

"For dinner. For ice cream. For making me laugh the hardest I ever have in my life!" Loki says. Steve knows she's not exaggerating that last part.

"I can't really take credit for making you laugh."

"Yes well, it was a perfect evening. I don't think I've had one of those in a very long time." Loki says. They embrace in a passionate kiss. It becomes heated and prolonged and it becomes clear that this time is different. There is no angst, or shyness, or timid exploration. They want one another. They feel for one another. Which makes it all the more difficult when both of them stop.

"I want you….." Loki whispers as she grips Steve's shirt collar hard. Steve is struggling as well. His hands are knotted up in Loki's gorgeous black locks. This emotion, this connection is something new, and they need to preserve it for the ceremony. Steve is breathing heavily. He is growing hard. "Let me pleasure you Steven…."

"We should hold off. The anticipation will make it more powerful…I have an idea."

"Let me wrap my lips around you…." Loki says with her pupils blown wide open.

"Keep talking dirty. I want you to touch yourself while I watch. We watch each other, but we don't touch each other. We save it for the ceremony." Steve says in a low tone. Loki strips naked eagerly and quickly. Steve is close behind her. They get on the bed. Loki leans against the headboard as she spreads her legs wide. She wants Steven to be able to see everything. Steve sits at her feet and begins to stroke himself.

"Tell me how badly you want me Loki."

"My insides ache. I need you inside me Steven. I need to be filled. You make me feel so complete." She says as she spreads her petals to show him her engorged blushing rose bud. She rubs her clit in a small circular motion, spreading her slickness.

"You're so beautiful. I want to hold you and keep you safe. I want to kiss all the places you've been hurt and take all your pain away." He strokes his shaft fast and hard. Loki's wetness is dripping from her fingers. The smell is intoxicating. He decides to break his own rule. "Put your fingers in my mouth. I want to taste you." He practically growls. Loki removes her hand and put her two fingers into his mouth and Steve sucks them.

Loki shudders. "Steven!" She cries as her pussy clenches, anticipating penetration. She withdraws her fingers from Steve and resumes stroking her opening with desperate urgency. Steve can feel his orgasm building also. They eye fuck each other as they stroke themselves.

"Come on me Steven." Loki whispers. Steve grunts a yes as his face becomes beet red. Suddenly he shifts his body up, hovering over Loki.

"Spread open." He commands and spends his seed directly onto Loki's cunt. His proximity and scent are too much for Loki. The stern look of passion on his face makes her cry out as she squirts her release. Her beautiful folds are a messy debauched display.

They lay there for a moment catching their breaths, but their muscles are still tense and it is obvious that they both still desire each other. Their need and longing is building again already.

"I'm going to take a shower." She says. She hops up and goes into the bathroom hose off. She returns a few minutes later. Steve has his clothes back on, which is doing little to hide his erection. Loki is back in her emerald satin nightgown. Her wet hair is a wild mess and Steve walks over to Loki gripping her biceps hard as he places his forehead on hers. He wants her so badly.

"I'm not going to get much sleep tonight." He says. He kisses her gently and heads back to his room.


	12. Chapter 12

The men head out again to widen their search. They have to. The people are panicking. The circle of rot is now covering all of Pennsylvania, most of upstate New York, and is skimming the edges of other nearby states. Wild animals are fleeing the zone because there is no food, and the water has a sour taste. The President of the United States was forced to hold a press conference to let the American people know that something is being done about it. They are told that Loki's scepter must be found and that the Avengers need it reverse the effects of the damage. He glosses over exactly how that will be done.

It is no secret at the highest levels of government that Loki is involved and that saving planet Earth involves her, Captain American and…some ritual of an intimate nature. Every government agency has been called in to search for the scepter and even pictures of it are being shown on the news. Anyone that has seen it is urged to call 911. The President tries to dodge a question about what will happen if the scepter is not found. The press is not impressed by his poker face. The stock market crashes and there are riots starting to pop up at grocery stores. It is the beginning of the end, when people start hording food. Overnight, New York City became a very scary place. It is a good thing Loki placed a large food order through Jarvis yesterday.

Loki goes into the gym and empties out all the chlorinated pool water out of the miniature swimming pool. Designed for one person to swim continuously without stopping, the water jets are powerful. It is the perfect size for five women to stand in. Loki opens up her little store of potions and pulls out three bottles. One is filled with various salts from obscure origins. The next is filled with the cleansing potion. The runes Loki painted on the women's bodies have been soaking up all their magical impurities. When they step into the water tonight the runes will bleed off all the garbage. Jane will bleed the most. The third bottle is not a potion, but Loki's favorite soap. He'll need the whole thing. After the bathing the women will finally eat. In the morning Loki will call upon his seidr to bless the women with gifts of nature. Loki has already decided that Natasha will represent the South and the Soil. Of all the four women, he trusts her most to follow direction. Maria will represent the North and the Wind. Pepper will represent the East and Fire. Jane will represent the West and Water.

Loki pours all three bottles into the little pool and watches as it becomes boiling hot and turns bright pink. The heat is magical and will take several hours to cool. Just in time for their midnight bath. Loki grabs five towels from the nearby shelf and transforms them all into white satin robes. She grabs an additional five towels and places them next to the robes. With everything she needs in the gym ready to go, Loki goes to the kitchen to start cooking.

Loki has never cooked before in her life, but Steve has and he's pretty good at it too. Using his memories she figures out how to roast a turkey. The only feasts that seem to pervade Steve's memories are ones surrounding holidays. She sets out to make what is essentially a Thanksgiving dinner, with a little help from Jarvis of course. She's actually going to roast two turkeys. One for earlier in the evening for when the men get home (and odds are there will not be any left overs) and one for the women, who probably won't leave any leftovers either. The men aren't getting any pumpkin pie though, just the girls get that.

Loki uses her magic to peel enough potatoes to feed an army. Steve would know what that is like. She makes stuffing and boils asparagus and makes gallons of gravy and hollandaise sauce. She slices up apples and fancy cheese, placing them on a platter with grapes and olives. Loki is about done cooking when a call comes in overhead.

"Your Highness, you have an incoming call from Captain Rogers." The AI informs.

"I'll answer."

"Loki, it's Steve. We found the scepter!"

"Thank the Norns, where are you?"

"We are almost home. We'll be there in 15 minutes."

"That is wonderful news. I'll see you then." The call ends and Loki puts the finishing touches on the dining room table. It looks like something out of a magazine. She shoves the second turkey into the oven to cook. It will be done just in time for the ladies.

The helicopter lands on the roof and Steve, Nick, Bruce, and Barton all exit. Tony and Thor land soon after. The elevator door dings open and the men spill out. They look exhausted and battle weary. Thor's nose is clearly broken and he is beginning to get two black eyes and he has dried crusted blood under his nose. But Loki ignores Thor completely when she sees the bruise and cut on Steve's left cheek. It is minor comparted to Thor's injuries. Steve is covered head to toe in dirt. The others look to be in about the same shape. They all stink of sweat. Nick is carrying the scepter, which is quickly forgotten.

"Steven! Come on darling, let me draw you a bath." Loki throws her arm around him and leads him away in a loving mothering fashion, very reminiscent of Frigga. She turns her head back and yells at the others over her shoulder. "None of you touch that food until you've showered!" She shouts sternly. The men all watch Steve go and a communal look of jealousy sweeps across their faces. Thor's is the worst. His face has a sad puppy what-about-me? look about it. The Thunder God is pouting openly like a small child.

"I miss Pepper."

"I miss Jane."

"I miss Nat, not that she'd do that for me, but she'd be nice to me…in her own way."

"I miss sex." Bruce says. Everyone turns and stares at him. "What? It's been….a while. Safe sex has a different connotation for me."

"Did she say something about food?" Clint asks.

"Yeah, it smells like Thanksgiving in here." Tony says. They all walk into the dining room and are blown away by the spread they see. "Holy shit is this for us?"

"It's probably for your girlfriend Stark. You know, the one that hasn't eaten in three days."

"Oh yeah…..right." He leers at the food greedily. "She did say not to touch it until after we've showered, sooooo…" Tony shoves Clint as he tries to beat him to the bathroom, which is stupid because he still has the Iron Man suit on.

"Damn it Clint! It's my Tower! I get to shower first!"

"Suck it Tony! You can use the gym if you don't like sharing!" Clint laughs as he locks the bathroom door.

"I miss my bedroom." Tony grumbles something to himself about sharing his stuff. Everyone scatters to their rooms to clean up, except for Nick. He takes the scepter to the most secure location in Stark's Tower and locks up the scepter. It will be safe there for tonight. He hopes.

Loki turns on the water and stops up the water. She helps Steve get undressed, pulling the tight uniform away from his body. It is filthy. She'll make sure it is cleaned. She rakes her hands over his back and shoulders before massaging the hard and tense muscles. Steve groans with relief.

"Bath." Steve climbs in and lets the hot water sooth his tired muscles. Loki has stripped down to her bra and underwear. She grabs a washcloth and suds it up to gently scrub him down. Her hands are all over him and her pupils are dilated. She leans over the tub to kiss him. It's a distraction. She has one of her hands snaking its way down his body to his manhood.

"MMPH!" Steve groans as her skin makes contact with his most sensitive place. "Loki-you don't have to…"

"-I want to." She kisses him as she strokes his hardness in the water. His breathing gets strained and heavy. She gazes deeply into his eyes are she works her bicep to pump him faster and faster.

"Loki….." Steve whispers right before gasping his release. A little fountain of creamy white seed bubbles in the bathtub. Steve hoses off and gets out. He and Loki both slip into some soft pajamas and head back to the dining room. Steve starts carving up the turkey as all the men trickle back. Everyone looks much more refreshed, except for Thor. His face is a train wreck. Everyone digs in.

Loki and Steve sit very close to one another and it becomes obvious they are holding hands underneath the table. Loki has a faint smile on her face as she nibbles her little meal. The men talk about the sting at the HYDRA safe house. The scepter was heavily guarded and the enemy put up a hard fight. Thor was simply outnumbered at one point and was hit square in the face with a lead pipe. That man no longer has a head. Most of the dirt on their uniforms is actually powered crushed cement, thanks to The Hulk.

Loki looks at the little cut on Steve's face. If she weren't conserving energy she would heal it now, and maybe Thor too. Maybe.

"Loki this food is amazing." Steve says.

"Thank you. I learned it from you…and Jarvis."

"You cooked this all yourself? You didn't use magic?" Thor asks sounding stunned.

"I might have employed a little magic to keep the bird from drying out, but yes I did cook all this myself." She preens.

"Well it tastes really good, thank you." Tony says. "I know the girls will appreciate it too."

"Yes, speaking of the girls…. I will need you four men to assist me getting them to the bath. They may be lethargic and barely able to stand, but once the smell of this food hits their nostrils they will be ravenous. They must not eat a single bite until after the cleansing. Afterward they may engorge themselves all they like."

"When does that happen?" Nick asks.

"Midnight….two more hours." She says.

"I'm so tired I'm ready to drop." Tony says.

"I'll make coffee." Is Steve's reply. The next two hours goes by slowly. Loki changes into one of the satin white robes and walks towards their room. At the stroke of midnight Loki removes the ward and opens the door. They are all laying on the bed with their eyes open, but none of them moves. They are too disoriented and exhausted from hunger. Tony picks up Pepper, Clint picks up Nat, Thor picks up Jane, and Cap picks up Maria. The moment they leave the room they are flooded by the smell of food and all four women's stomachs growl ferociously.

"Oh my God! Food! Please!" Jane cries. Her eyes look desperate. They all do. All four women spent the last four days filling up their stomachs with water to try to feel full. It just made them less thirsty. They are rushed to the gym.

"Undress them and put them in the water." Loki orders as she pulls off her robe. Just like that she is naked in front of everyone. For a moment all the men stop and get a good eye full.

"Hey!" Steve shouts at them.

"Sorry! Sorry man! Didn't mean to leer at your girl like that." Tony says. Thor is blushing especially pink for leering at his _sister_ like that. The situation doesn't get better when Pepper, Natasha, Jane, and Maria are naked as well. Steve feels awkward manhandling Maria like this. He barely knows her, but everyone is doing it, which is oddly comforting. The women drop into the water, leaning on the edge of the pool for support as Loki wades in.

"Get out!" She yells at the men. All of the men, including Steve, stumble out of the gym like school boys caught peeping into the girl's locker room. The women are all groaning in pain. "Dunk yourselves underwater." They all comply and emerge soaked. "Join hands now!" She barks at them to get their attention. Pepper is practically hallucinating. They join in a circle and Loki starts her chant. The sound of her voice is melodic and undulating. Jane's ink leeches into the water immediately as black filth oozes from her pores. What surprises Loki is that Pepper follows her in close succession. She's almost as tainted as Jane. Next Maria and Natasha start to bleed their toxins out and before long the water is black with poison. The runes slowly melt away leaving each woman looking pristine in its wake. Maria and Natasha finish first, followed by Pepper, and then of course Jane. She is the last to finish purging.

Loki pulls out an empty vial and dips it into the water. All the blackness flows into it. It seems so impossible as the vial is so small and the blackness is so thick and plentiful. When the blackness is completely gone the water in the pool is clear again. Loki corks the vial to save the poison for a later application. She smirks and looks up at the women.

"Time to eat."


	13. Chapter 13

Tony has been on real safaris in Africa. He has seen many episodes of wild kingdom and is a huge fan of zombie films. He once saw a pride of lions eat a gazelle alive, and when they were done with it, that gazelle did not look anywhere near as sad and pathetic as the turkey carcass on the dining room table. Pepper looks over at him and smiles. There is a big smear of cranberry sauce on her chin. The mashed potatoes are gone, so are the rolls, olives, cheese, and the stuffing. Tony thought he saw pie at one point, but it disappeared. It is 2 a.m. and the women have been eating for a solid hour. Natasha belches loudly.

Loki and Steve went to bed long ago. They'll worry about dishes in the morning. The ladies all come to a halt at about the same moment. Pepper ate so much she looks pregnant. Tony is just excited to sleep in his own bed tonight. Jane started giggling uncontrollably about a half hour after she began eating and the giggles caught on with the others. The lack of food for three days is giving them a kind of buzz from the rush of blood sugar. However, all three look like they are on the verge of collapsing thanks to the tryptophan in the turkey meat. Thor picks up Jane and carries her bridal style to their room. Not to be outdone, Tony does the same with Pepper. Clint gives Natasha a questioning look, but she rolls her eyes, and he smirks at her in return.

The following morning everyone gets up late. Loki is the first to awaken at about 8 a.m. Tony and Pepper are the last to rise at about 10:30. The kitchen is a mess and no one wants to cook so Clint does a donut run, only to discover the cost of food has skyrocketed. Nick gets off his phone and turns on the television. The President has announced that the scepter has been recovered and that plans are underway to reverse the effects of the 'Ring of Rot'. He lets the public know that the scepter is in the safe hands of the Avengers and that the American people will be seeing results soon.

"The President wants to know when we plan on using the scepter to fix the damage." Nick says pointedly to Loki.

"I need the ladies to join me in the gym in about an hour. I'm going to bless them with power today. The process will exhaust me. I will sleep for the rest of the day. Tomorrow morning I will begin training them to use their gifts. It may take two or three days for them to channel their power well enough to be sufficient for the ceremony. Once I am confident in each lady's ability we will hold the ceremony at the point of origin." Loki says pointing to the center of the circle which is being shown on a map on television.

"So four days?" Nick asks.

"Optimistically speaking, yes." Loki replies. She turns to speak to the girls. "I want each of you to come to the gym dressed appropriately. Jane I want you to wear a bikini top and a sarong but no bottoms, Maria I recommend you only wear a bra on top, no shirt. Pepper….I want you to wear something heat resistant if possible, if not try to wear something made of natural fibers. I don't want you to wear something that could melt and stick to your skin. Natasha, wear something you won't mind getting ruined. Steven….I'll need you to bring the scepter and carry me to my room when I'm done." Loki instructs everyone. With their marching orders in hand, everyone scatters.

Natasha can't explain why, but she feels like a million bucks. Yes the food was good and so was the sleep, but more than that she does in fact feel cleansed in some way that she can't really describe. Clint commented that she was practically glowing. Her skin is luminescent. The others are too. She heads to the gym in the most raggedy clothing she can find. She is curious to know why all of them are wearing something different.

Loki is waiting for them wearing nothing more than a simple dress. This transfer of power does not require special potions or stones. All that is required is Loki herself, carving off little pieces of her own seidr to gift to another. It's going to hurt like a bitch. Steve and the other men are there also, standing by to watch with curiosity. This particular spell does not require an absence of the male gender.

"Join hands ladies." She says. Steve stands off to the side holding the scepter and watching. Loki begins to chant her words that not even Thor seems to understand. A green heatless flame envelopes Loki's entire body and slowly spreads around the circle covering the other women. Suddenly Maria goes stiff and lets out a shriek as giant wings sprout from her back. Everyone's weight suddenly shifts as Jane's legs give out from underneath her. She now has a fish tail. The heatless flame around Pepper turns orange and becomes hot. She really is on fire, though she herself does not burn or feel pain. Lastly Natasha screams as little vines sprout from her skin, tearing up her clothes. Loki finishes her chant and releases her grip on the others.

"Holy shit! Jane turned into a mermaid!" Tony yells. Pepper looks at her glowing red skin and feels….disappointment. Really? This is so…..anticlimactic. Maria is ecstatic. She's an angel. She can fly. Sweet! Natasha looks down at all the flowers and shit that is growing out of her body with annoyance.

"Hey Nat I'll get you a pair a pruning shears for Christmas." Clint says. She gives him the finger. Loki looks skinny and exhausted. There are large purple bags under her eyes and she is swaying. Steve rushes to her side feeling alarmed.

"I'll carry you back to your room."

"Wait. Natasha." Loki beckons her to come near. Loki grabs a hold of the scepter and thrusts it in Natasha's direction. "During the ceremony while Steven and I are otherwise engaged, you'll have to be my proxy. You'll be channeling the toxins out of the ground and channeling my power into the ground. Grab it." Natasha obeys and places her hand next to Loki's on the scepter. Loki chants more words and suddenly Natasha sees…..everything.

_"…you think you know pain. You'll wish for something as sweet as pain…find agent Romanova….. (For the love of the Norns hit me in the head you stupid green beast!) I am a god! And I will not be bullied by the….. (free)"_

Natasha gasps as Loki's and Clint's memories flood her mind. Loki had every intension of failing. He wanted the Chitauri Army destroyed. His possession of Clint had been necessary to get the information he needed to unite the Avengers against him…so he would lose. Natasha feels the power and connection to the scepter that was not there before. She can feels its power pulsing through her veins and knows with certainty the Loki could have killed every single person on earth with it if he'd wanted to. Loki falls into Steve's arms unconscious and is carried away.

"Wait! I'm still a fish! Am I stuck like this or what!?" Jane cries after Loki. It turns out she is not. After about an hour Jane's tail splits in two and reverts back to being legs. Maria's wings shrivel up and fall off as do the plants on Natasha's body. Pepper ceases to be red and hot (though Tony would tend to disagree.)

Steve snuggles up next to Loki on her bed, pulling her head to his chest. She looks pale and withered and like she hasn't slept for weeks. Her sleeping face is etched with pain. Steve hasn't really thought about the ceremony these last couple of days, not in detail. Seeing the women starved and naked, covered in writing, and then again in that green circle of fire makes what is coming next very real for Steve. He's afraid. Not five days ago he told Loki that he did not want to have a baby with her and he meant it. At the time. He's learned so much about Loki in the precious hours they've been together. Loki is nothing what he appears to be. He is fragile, and lonely, and eager to love. He's endured much pain and humiliation in his life with very few accolades. His crimes, which were highly egregious, have been punished. Loki deserves the fresh start Thor spoke of on the first day of his return. It is unfair and unjust that his fellow heroes think the worst of Loki. If they only knew what a courageous heart and brilliant mind walked beside them. His friends do not trust Loki, and it breaks his heart. Loki does not deserve their scorn.

Steve still feels trepidation at the thought of Natasha, and Jane, and Maria, and Pepper watching him make love to Loki. It is such a private moment, and he hates that he has to share it. He and Loki have fucked, yes, but they have not yet made love. It will be very special when they do, making love, making a baby, saving the world. It makes him feel better looking at it that way. It will be a sacred event witnessed by four close female friends. He pulls Loki even closer.

When he came home last night to a massage, a hot bath, and a great big meal he felt cared for; even pampered. Loki had doted on him like a loving wife. The thought gives Steve pause. He doesn't know if he's ready to marry her, but the thought does not scare him like it did just a few days ago. Moreover he is disturbed by his eagerness to see Loki in his male form again. He wants to nuzzle his neck and run his hand up his slender creamy thigh, and caress his beautiful cock. He wants to take him. He wants to come inside his sweet and tender tightness while listening to his moans of pleasure.

Steve then remembers the Loki being naked at the pool in front of everyone. To be fair, all the other girls were naked too, and everyone got to see each other's girlfriend naked. However, that convenient little fact does nothing to smother the possessive aggression blooming in his chest. Steve thinks to the night he attacked Loki and lost his virginity. He wants to pull her hair again and crush her body into his. He wants to thrust powerfully into her so that she may know who she belongs to.

"Mine."


	14. Chapter 14

As promised, Loki slept the rest of the day and night away after blessing the girls. After snuggling with Loki for a while Steve got up and went to his room to retrieve his art supplies. Steve loves to draw, though he hasn't had time to indulge in his hobby this past week. Seeing Loki sleeping perfectly still on the bed, she is the perfect model. Steve settles into a chair next to Loki's bed and spends the rest of the afternoon sketching her. He draws her as she is, and as he imagines her to be. He even draws a blue version of her, remembering what she'd said about her true appearance. Since he doesn't know what shade of blue her skin is, he does the sketch in three different shades. He crawls in bed next to her that night, pulling her close and cradling her in adoring tenderness.

Loki awakens the following morning feeling like she'd been batted about the room by the Hulk again. She's starving and her head hurts. Steve's warm body is just too hot for her and she peels herself out of his arms in a none too gentle fashion. Steve stirs awake to the sounds of Loki grumbling under her breath as she staggers to the bathroom. He decides it is best to give her some space this morning.

About an hour later most everyone is loitering in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking amongst themselves. The girls are excited to start their training today. That is, until they get a good look at Loki. She still has purple bags under her eyes and she looks really freaking grumpy. She looks skinnier if that is possible, like a stiff breeze could knock her over. Steve sets down a plate in front of her filled with grapes, apple slices, cheese, and a hot buttered biscuit. A big hot tea pot filled with black tea is placed next to her along with a large cup. He smiles at her.

Her frown…lessens…..a little. "Thank you." She says quietly. "After breakfast I want the ladies to join me in the gym again. We will begin our lessons today."

"We'll be there! We are really excited to get started." Jane exclaims in a bright and cheerful voice. Loki smiles an evil hateful grin that makes everyone shudder.

"You will be cursing my name when you fall asleep tonight. Dress comfortably." Loki says as she pops a grape into her mouth. Everyone finishes up their food quickly and scatters. An hour later in the gym everyone, including the men, shows up.

"I will not tolerate any distractions or interference. These women are my pupils and you will keep your opinions and objections to yourselves. If you cannot do that then get out now." Loki states as a clear warning to all the protective boyfriends in the room. Tony, Thor, and Clint all share a look of derision. They already don't like the way this is going. Loki turns her attentions to the ladies.

"Now as the four of you have probably guessed, I have blessed each of you with a slightly different gift. Each gift serves as a form of function for the ceremony. Jane you represent the west and the element of water."  
>"I turned into a mermaid yesterday, but it went away after a while. Will my tail ever come back?" Jane asks.<p>

"If you wish it to, though it is easier if you happen to be swimming in ocean water at the time."

"So I won't turn into a mermaid if I'm just taking a shower or swimming in a pool?"

"No, mermaids are salt water creatures, which you are now. Congratulations. Pepper you represent the East and the element of fire. You look disappointed?" Loki notices.

"Yeah, this isn't the first time I've become fire proof, though living with Tony, it is a handy asset to have." Pepper says.

"Interesting. Maria you represent the North and the element of Wind, hence the wings. You have to summon them and continuously use them or they will shrivel up and fall away, so maintaining focus will be important for you. The wind is a difficult thing to control. My brother could teach you much on the subject actually." Loki says. Everyone turns to look at Thor momentarily. Jane suddenly wishes she'd gotten the power of wind, then she and Thor could fly together. Damn it! Now she's sad.

"Natasha you represent the south and the soil. Of all the four elements yours is will have the largest role during the ceremony and you will have additional training after the other ladies are done."

"So what fringe benefit comes with my gift? Making grass grow faster?"

"In a manner of speaking yes, should you ever take up gardening you'll be the envy of the neighborhood. Though I'd say what you will find helpful is the control all of you will have over the behavior of animals. Your enemies will never be able to use trained attack dogs on you again. Jane will obviously have an affinity for water creatures, and Maria for those that fly. Pepper…animals will steer clear of you entirely. I hope you are not fond of pets. They won't like you now." Loki says. Pepper does not look thrilled.

"That is handy…..Does that include Bruce?" Natasha asks. Loki smirks at the assassin.

"You know….I'm not sure." Loki muses. They'll have to test that theory later. Loki instructs the ladies to cup their hands in front of them and concentrate. Pepper immediately calls up a little fire ball and holds it in the palms of her hands. Loki is impressed. The other three have no luck and Loki sighs with resignation. It is going to be a long day.

Three hours later all the women are covered in sweat and exhausted. Who knew wielding magic was so physically exhausting? Maria has managed to conjure a tiny tornado in the cup of her hands while Natasha nurtures a pretty flower out of nothingness. Jane was the last to find focus and summon a water globe. Jane's inability to hold it and keep its shape properly for any decent length of time does not inspire Loki's confidence.

"Jane! Do you want your world to die?" Loki says with an icy tone.

"No!" She says like a defensive child.

"Then I suggest you concentrate!" Loki yells at her.

"I am concentrating!" She yells back.

"It is no wonder the Aether consumed you so quickly. You are weak and undisciplined. Honestly, I don't know what Thor sees in you!" Loki insults her. That last little bit is enough to light a fire under Jane's ass. She focuses with everything she has and the sloppy ball of a water turns into a water sculpture shaped like a hand giving the finger. Loki is not amused.

"Do you think this is a game? A joke? Do you want your species to go extinct? Because that is what will happen if you fail. You have to do this- Jane -while being distracted, lest you forget. Steven!" Loki shouts for her Captain. Steve is surprised by her summons and walks over from his comfortable position on the matt.

Loki's facial expression softens towards him, but he knows this is serious business. "Steven, when you and I are in the circle these women will be watching us being intimate. They have to maintain concentration while watching us in the throes of passion. YOU have to forget they are there, and focus only on me. Do you think you can do that?" Loki asks kindly. Steve breaks out in a cold sweat and fear fills his eyes. Loki cannot have this happen at the ceremony. If Steve is too embarrassed and nervous to focus on the love making the spell will fail.

"Everyone not directly involved in the ceremony get out! And lock the gym doors behind you." Tony, Clint, and Thor all look at each other. Loki and Steve are about to engage in a dress (or rather undressed) rehearsal in front of their girlfriends.

"Wait are you and Steve…are you two about to ah…" Tony tries to stutter out the words.

"It's none of your concern Stark. Get out." Loki presses. The men all leave, except for Steve with open curiosity, envy, and even possessiveness on their faces. This whole situation is just weird. The women exchange glances. Is this really about to happen? Even Steve looks shocked. He pulls Loki away to whisper to her.

"Loki, I can't do this. I'm not ready." Steve says, begging her to listen. Loki puts a hand on his cheek to sooth him.

"Don't worry Steven, I'm not going to make you rut me in front of them. But we, all of us, are going to undress now. We need to get over the shock of seeing one another naked. You and I will do some light touching and kissing. That is all. It will be more than enough to test their concentration."

Steve feels angry, and exposed, and just plain coerced. He doesn't like this at all. It's too much, too fast. Loki senses his anger. This is good. Steve needs to get these feelings out of the way now.

"Do you remember what I told you about my true appearance?" Loki asks.

"Yeah. You said you're actually blue and you have red eyes." Steve says. Loki memories flit through his mind and Steve realizes what Loki is about to do. No one besides Odin, and the Jotunn in Helheim has seen Loki in his true form, not even Thor. Steve panics.

"You don't have to do that. You don't have to do that just to make me feel better." Steve says.

"Then come undress with me and kiss me." Loki says. Loki turns and orders the women to strip. They all hesitate until Loki and Steve start undressing also. Everyone is shy and slow in their movements.

When they are all finally standing naked before one another Loki orders the girls to stand in a circle around her and Steve, just like the ceremony.

"Now….begin." She tells them. The women cup their hands as they try to focus their energies. Loki turns to Steve. She pulls their bodies together both to increase physical contact and to partially obscure the view of his naked body. All the girls get a good look at Steve. The serum really did do wonders for him.

The first kiss they share is full of nerves and shyness. As the minutes go by it does not improve and Loki knows she must do something drastic. She shifts her skin and removes the camouflage that has been hiding her true nature her entire life. Steve opens his eyes from the kiss to find ruby eyes staring up from blue skinned lids. The women gape at Loki and the energy fields around Jane and Maria both flicker. They are losing concentration.

"Focus you stupid cunts! The lives of your people depend on you!" Loki screeches at them. This juvenile attitude towards nudity is not a problem with _trained _priestesses in Asgard. Loki turns her eyes back to Steve who is staring at her.

Steve is amazed by what he sees. Her skin is lovely cerulean and her eyes are like garnets. Far from the demonic looking creature he feared she'd resemble, she is an exotic beauty from another world. Steve wonders absently if he would have been so accepting of such a person before The Avengers. After everything he has seen, such strangeness does not disturb him as much as it used to. There are raised lines on her forehead that curl and wrap down the left side of her neck to her torso and left thigh. Steve brushes a thumb against one of them and Loki gasps from the unexpected pleasure. Steve pulls her even tighter to his body and leans in for a very sweet kiss.

Loki thought she could do this. She'd spent months like this in Helheim facing her victims. Standing her exposed in front of her new lover, however, is a different kind of vulnerability. One she thought she was prepared to handle. Unwelcome tears stream down her face and Steve furrows his brow with concern.

"Our child could look like this, like me." Loki says to him. Her voice trembles and she hates herself for it. She hates that she needs-NO…WANTS the approval of this man. This mortal man. Steve cups her face to hold her gaze so that she knows he is sincere.

"And I will love it with every fiber of my being."

"Steven…" They kiss again with tenderness and urgency as their hands rake each other. Their touches become bolder and breaths rapid. Loki feels Steve's hardness against her abdomen. He has completely forgotten the other people in the room. They break apart, remembering suddenly where they are and who is around them.

The magic energy fields around Jane and Maria are both sputtering. Natasha and Pepper are doing much better but it is obvious that they are exhausted. Loki notes that all four women show clear signs of arousal. Natasha, who is displaying a stoic poker face, cannot hide the blush and engorgement of her nether regions. It is the same for all of them. They notice that Loki and Steve are looking at them and all four women avoid eye contact.

"Enough." The women all drop their arms and the magic collapses. The ladies are all covered in sweat and are exhausted. Loki walks over and grabs her clothing. Everyone else follows her example. Steve quickly covers his arousal when Loki removes her body from his. The ladies politely pretend they didn't see it, but Steve knows they all did.

"Natasha, I think we will work on your additional training in the morning. I've had enough for tonight." Loki says. Natasha nods.

"So that's it then?" Maria asks.

"Yes. We will resume tomorrow. You may all go." Loki dismisses them. The women all leave with a quick step in their pace. They all share a somber look, because they are all thinking the same thing.

The men are all gathered in the living room watching a football game. Tony hoots as his team scores while Nick shoots the bastard a dirty look.

"The ref is fucking blind!" Nick complains. Bruce, Clint, and Thor are all on the couch drinking beer. Their heads all turn in unison when the women ambush them. Natasha marches right over to Clint, pulls him up by his shirt collar, and kisses him like a dirty animal.

"Bed. Now." She orders as she drags him away to her den, caveman style. Tony shoots Pepper a look and the smoldering gaze she returns has his cock standing on end. They both make a b-line straight to their room. Thor's eyebrows quirk up at Jane who smirks at him. She turns and walks towards their room, looking over her shoulder at him.

"I'm sorry my friends, but duty calls." Thor says to Nick and Bruce and he takes his leave. Maria shoots Nick an awkward look, which he mirrors. He's her boss, or was. He's yeah…no. It's weird. Not happening. That just leaves…..

"Hulk smash." Maria says to Bruce. She curls her fingers at him in a come-hither fashion.

"I….uh….uh….uh…." Bruce stutters. This is not happening. Maria walks over and grabs his wrist and drags him back to his room.

Nick sits there alone listening to the game and the silence. Everyone in the tower is fucking right now. Everyone…but him.

"Is it because I'm black?"


	15. Chapter 15

Clint grinds into Natasha while planting sweet delicate kisses on her neck. Natasha usually likes it rough and hard, but tonight she is craving something softer and more intimate. Clint can't help but wonder what exactly went down in the gym to put her in such a rare mood. He wants to ask her but he has a feeling Natasha will not talk about whatever it was that Steve and Loki were doing, out of respect to their privacy. Limited though it may be. They spend the evening making love and Clint relishes every second. There are so many things he wants to tell Natasha, about how he feels about her, but he fears she will not reciprocate. Natasha is a hard woman.

When the sex is over Natasha drapes her body over Clint's, which is also unusual behavior. It becomes clear to Clint that Natasha has something on her mind. Natasha barely said two words to him yesterday after Loki gave her those new hippie witch powers. Whatever this is, it is serious.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Clint asks her in the silence.

"No, but I need to. I have to." She says. "Yesterday when Loki told me to grab ahold of the scepter, something happened to me."  
>"THAT SON OF A BITCH! DID HE TRY TO CONTROL YOU? I'LL KILL HIM!" Clint flies off the bed prepared to kill. Natasha wrestles him to the ground to stop him.<p>

"No Clint. Not that. I saw…..I saw your memories…all of them." Natasha says. "I love you too."

"When you say all of them….?"

"Your whole life Clint, yes." She confirms. Clint swallows hard. "It lasted only a split second but it felt like an eternity. Your entire life opened up to me like a book and for a while I forgot who I was. I thought I was you. And then it ended and I was myself again. I had no idea you loved me that much." Clint pulls Natasha's head down to kiss her deeply. He feels so exposed and vulnerable and yet it is so freeing and wonderful. He has no secrets from her now. They break apart and darkness shadows Natasha's face.

"There's more." She presses her lips into a thin line before speaking. "I saw Loki's memories too." She confesses. Clint sits up at this revelation.

"What did you see? What is he really up to? What is all of this leading to?" Clint asks like an eager school boy anxious to tattle on the class bully. But Natasha shakes her heads and starts to cry. He will never believe her. No one ever believes the God of Lies. Clint pulls her close. Never, in all the years he has known her, has he ever seen her cry. Not once.

"I felt my body being ripped apart. The pain was more than I have ever endured in all my years of training. It was inhuman. I don't know how he survived it."

"Loki? You're saying the pain you felt, it happened to Loki?"

"Yes. Clint he was tortured. He was forced to attack us. The people that wanted him, they wanted to use him to get to the weapons vault in Asgard. They tried to use him as a pawn. He refused over and over again until the torture became too much. He failed on purpose."

"No. No I can't believe that. That son of a bitch took control of me and used all my knowledge against me and our friends Nat."

"He used your knowledge to bring us together and united us against him. He needed you Clint. He was being watched and he had to make it look convincing."

"Who? Who tortured him? Will Thor know who they are?"

"Yes. A crazy purple guy from some distant world that destroys entire planets. If he had led the attack instead of Loki, we would all be dead. Everyone everywhere would be dead. But he didn't. He used Loki instead because he wanted to get to something in Asgard and he needed Loki to get there and he needed the Tesseract too. Loki pretended to succumb to his desires for domination and power. He never wanted to be king of earth."

"I don't believe it Nat, I'm sorry. I can't."

XxXxXxXxXx

Loki and Steve went to Steve's room after their practice session and spent the evening talking and holding each other while everyone else in the tower was busy fucking their brains out. Steve showed Loki his sketches of her from the day before and Loki nearly cried from the beauty of them. She posed for him again, remaining in her blue form and naked so that he could document every detail of her true nature. His depictions of her are reverent and sweet. He shows her how beautiful she is in this form through the power of his artwork. She wants to make love to him. She closes her eyes and holds the feeling inside as if trying to freeze it to thaw for later use. She wants to feel like this during the ceremony.

"Loki?"

"Hmmm?"

"I've been thinking about after the ceremony." Steve begins. "You're going to be pregnant and I know that we haven't really had much privacy here. I don't like it that Tony can use Jarvis to peak in on us whenever he likes. I was thinking we could get a place of our own not far from here."

"Stark will not be able to spy on us again. I have made sure of it. As for finding a place of our own… I would like that very much."

"You asked me the other day what exactly it is I want from you….as far as marrying you and raising our baby together. Your right. I don't want my baby growing up in a broken home. I don't want to be some visitor that comes over occasionally after work to spend time with his kid. I also….I like you Loki. You are more selfless than anyone can know. You are the complete opposite of what everyone thinks of you. It bothers me that no one else knows what you did to save this world. It bothers me that only a handful people know what you're doing now, to save earth. The entire world hates you and you don't deserve it."

"Life is not fair Steven. I have made peace with this fact long ago."

"But don't you want to stand up and defend yourself, change the way people see you? Change their opinions of you? Everyone needs to hear the truth." Steve beseeches Loki.

"They won't believe me Steven and they won't believe you either. What would be the point?"

"Trying is the point Loki. I won't rest until everyone hears your side of what happened even if they don't want to hear it."

"And I will love you for it." Loki says quietly.

XxXxXxXxXx

The following morning Loki and Natasha meet in the gym for their special training session. Natasha brings the scepter.

"I will begin the ceremony by calling the toxin back to the scepter from out of the ground. It will take some time for all of it to return. While the scepter is busy soaking up the darkness, Steven and I will begin mating, pouring our power into the ground to heal it. You will be the dispersal point for those energies. It will be your job to direct the different flows from the other women, the toxin, and Steven and I. You are the only one I trust to do this correctly."

Loki takes hold of the scepter with both hands and bids Natasha to place both of her hands upon it as well. Loki shows Natasha the difference between her own magic energy, the energy of the scepter, and Loki's energy. They conduct small exercises designed to teach Natasha how to direct the traffic. It is exhausting work but Loki is pleased with the way Natasha handles herself. After a couple hours of practice Loki calls an end to their session to let Natasha rest before they begin anew with the other women present. It will be different when she has to direct the magic with all five women present. It will be harder.

"Eat a hearty meal, you will need your strength this afternoon." Loki directs as they break for lunch.

"Thor has no idea does he?" Natasha asks out of the blue. Loki is confused by her question for a moment before she realizes what Natasha is asking.

"How much did you see?"

"Everything." There is a pregnant pause as the two women regard one another. "Does Steve know?"

"He does." More silence follows. "You should drink lots of water. It'll help you keep your strength." Loki says as she avoids Natasha's gaze.

"It's not fair."

"I know."

XxXxXxXxXx

That evening everyone gathers for dinner and watches as the women inhale their food with gusto. Even Loki eats more than her usual sparse fair. Mexican is on the menu tonight and Loki enjoys a bite of her first taco. She likes it. Natasha and Clint both have brooding expressions on their faces as they look between each other and at Loki, having a silent conversation that gets Loki's attention. Natasha shoots Steve a few looks as well. Her eyes darting from him to Loki and back. Steve knows Natasha is trying to communicate something, though what he is not sure.

"Loki?" Natasha starts. "None of us has thanked you for what you are doing here. It's not right and long overdue. I want to thank you for giving me the powers I have. They're amazing and I know it caused you a lot of pain to do it. I can't imagine how hard the ceremony will be."

"Here, here!" Thor echoes the sentiment. He raises a glass and toasts his brother for all his efforts.

"Tony-I think the public should know about all that Loki is doing for us. He deserves the credit and it would go a long way in repairing his reputation and mending fences. I think your public relations people should be contacted."

Tony is taken aback by this statement, especially considering who it is coming from. Loki stops eating.

"….and if I fail I will be blamed for the death of your species. No. Say nothing. If the people learn of my involvement it will only incite further panic."

"Then after. After the ceremony, we tell the world what you did for us." Steve says as he takes her hand and entwines his fingers with hers. Loki shakes her head. She'd rather be ignored and left alone at this point. The human race will not thank her. It will only backfire. It always does. If there is one thing Loki can depend on, it is that she is always destined to lose.


	16. Chapter 16

Steve and Loki spend their evening together alone. They need this time to bond. Tomorrow Loki is going to put the girls through their paces one more time. If everyone does well Loki will take a day of rest, and then they will perform the ceremony. Things are getting scary outside. Nick has been in constant contact with the CIA, which has been informing the President of any and all changes, no matter how infinitesimal. There are crowds of frightened people gathering around Avengers Tower. The ring of rot has reached the edge of the city. People are holding up signs stating 'The End is nigh' and other such dooms day phrases. For once, it is appropriate. If Loki fails, 6 billion people will slowly starve to death. Earth will be a spherical corpse.

"I suppose we should start picking out baby names." Steve says that evening.

"You are being a little presumptuous aren't you? The spell has to succeed first."

"Yes but, I am assuming we will….succeed."

"You're always so optimistic."

"We need a little optimism right now, not negativity."

"Thinking positively is not in my nature."

"I know which is why I brought up the baby names. I like James or Sarah."

"Oh it will be a girl child, for certain, and we are not naming her Sarah." Loki says with a smile.

"Alright, what would you like to name her?"

"Rose, on account of the red hair she will have."

"How do you know that?" Steve asks. Loki smiles cryptically but doesn't answer.

"Rose. How about Rosalie?" Steve asks. Loki considers it for a moment. She doesn't particularly care for the addition but it is acceptable.

"Rosalie then, but I shall still call her Rose, I think." Loki says. Steve smiles. Picking a baby name went faster and easier than he had expected.

XxXxXxXxXx

The following morning the girls gather in the gym for one more dry run before the big day. The guys use the time to plan the logistics of the ceremony. They have to travel to the place where the scepter poisoned the earth. It turns out to be a little field in Pennsylvania with a gas station nearby. Thankfully the field is large enough to accommodate a tent, or something like it. According to Loki a tent would be unwise as the roof would more than likely be ruined or otherwise be ripped off. Loki didn't elaborate as to why. She'd instead recommended a circular wall, for privacy sake and nothing more, so canvas tent walls, minus the top will be erected.

Tony has taken to making public statements in person to allay the fears of the public. The paparazzi are persistent creatures. He tells them that the ceremony will be performed in about two or three days. "What ceremony? Who's in it? Why do you need the scepter? Why can't you fix it right now? Where will the ceremony be held? Can the public come and watch?" Tony realizes his mistake and tries to extricate himself from the crowd of reporters. Shit. Tony stumbles into the elevator and breathes a sigh of relief when the doors close. Pepper is going to kill him for not staying on message, if Loki doesn't kill him first. The last thing they need is half the country showing up at that field in Pennsylvania. Yep, Steve is going to kick his ass. Hopefully the public won't figure out where they are going.

The ladies are standing in a circle with Loki at the center. She is observing them. The green circle of magic the women have created is thrumming with a solid hum. Loki is pulsating her own power at Natasha in unsteady waves, trying to surprise her and knock her off focus, but she is a good student and handles the disruptions well. The other girls are maintaining the spell well. Once the toxin is removed the power flow will reverse and Natasha will have to send everything to Loki, feeding her as she and Steve make love. They are ready.

"Enough. Spend the rest of the day today and tomorrow resting. Make love to your men tonight. I want all four of you to think about them and their love for you the day after tomorrow. It is easy to forget…in light of the direness of our circumstances…that this is supposed to be a joyous activity. Steven and I will be making a baby together. All of us will be working to save this world and restore it to full health. In two days we get to do something heroic. We should relish the feeling." Loki says. The women are surprised by her little speech. Loki is not the pep-talk type.

The women go their separate ways only to end up in the living room together about an hour later. The men are there too. They decide they all need to decompress a bit and put in a movie. It is another one from Steve's list. Trading Places with Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd. Loki decides she really likes television. Some of it, anyway. Tony busts out the booze and an air of frivolity fills the floor of the penthouse.

Maria curls up with Bruce on the couch who looks more relaxed than ever. It turns out Maria's new powers do have a calming effect on him. Bruce can't stop touching her. After years of sexual starvation he is anxious to have her again. About half way through the movie they give up on pretenses and head back to his room for some time alone. The movie ends and some music is put on. Thor comes over and sits next to Loki to talk to him.

"Brother I am proud of the changes I see in you. You have endured much since your return and the sacrifices you are making are not small." Thor says loudly.

"Thank you." Is all she replies. She knows Thor is trying, but thousands of years of sibling rivalry is hard to forget.

"So what is it like? Being a…a woman?"

"Well….the orgasms are…different. Being physically smaller and losing so much muscle mass makes me feel more vulnerable. I actually crave the touch of someone stronger than myself. It makes me feel safe."

"Does Steven make you happy?"

"He tries. It is all I can ask of him." Loki states sounding dejected.

"What is missing?"

"Steven is missing. He is Captain America all the time. I've only seen him put his shield down once, and it was….wonderful. He's afraid to be himself I think, to show his darker side. I saw a flash of it once and I liked it. But I am a hypocrite I suppose. I have been hiding from him too."

"In what way?"

"I don't think Steve would like or appreciate my more trickster nature. My dark side is darker than his. I worry I'll scare him off."

"That you worry at all tells me much of your feelings for him."

"He's going to be the father of my child Thor. This was not a union I would have chosen for myself."

"Do you feel like he is coercing you into being someone you are not?"

"You ask me that as I sit here and wear a dress?"

"You know what I mean." Thor says. Loki sighs.

"We need to be loving, to feel love for each other for the ceremony to work. We've been thrust together in a very short amount of time. I've let him into my heart a great deal further than any other, but there is a piece of my heart I am still protecting. I'm afraid to let him have it."

"You fear he will break it."

"Yes."

"The leap of love is a dangerous one. You are either rewarded with bliss or painful torment. You won't know with which you will be rewarded until you make it. Do you worry Steven will not return your affections?"

"He regards me in a reverent fashion I think. I am not what he would have chosen for himself either. He has exceeded my expectations on some very private things and he is fond of me."

"But he doesn't love you." Thor says as a statement and not a question.

"It has only been seven days. How could I expect him to? We both need more time, which we do not have. I fear our fondness for one another will not be powerful enough."

"Then I suggest you make love tonight and show him the parts of yourself you think he won't like."

"What if he doesn't like it? I'll have destroyed what we have built so far. I can't risk it."

"I you don't take the risk you'll end in failure anyway. Open the door to your heart Loki, and invite him in. You'll be happier for it, and so will Steven."

"We were trying to hold off until the ceremony…to make it more special. Build up the anticipation."

"You'll both need more than mere anticipation." Thor surmises.

XxXxXxXxXx

Loki invites Steve back to her room for more time alone. They talk about baseball, and movies, and the environment. They talk about ice and Steve's nightmares. They talk about Bucky and Steve's search for the Winter Soldier, his friend. Steven has often felt out of place in this new world of the future. He feels like a relic whose ideals and way of viewing the world has been forgotten to the detriment of society. Loki reminds him of the era from which he came in many ways. There is decorum about Loki, Thor too, a manner in which people are expected to lead their lives with grace and dignity. There are aspects of that way of life, however, that were suffocating for him. Like his secret occasional attraction to men.

"I used to get beat up a lot when I was a kid." Steve says

"I remember. You never backed down, even when you knew you'd lose. You almost lack a sense of self-preservation I think."

"I'm hard headed and stubborn." Steve says.

"So was I. I didn't have to worry about others putting their hands on me as a prince, but my enemies would just save it up for the sparring arena and brutalize me there. I learned magic so I could take revenge on those who enjoyed hurting me, and do it in a way that was undetectable, or at least hard to prove. People eventually learned to restrain their spite as they ground me into the dust. The cruel and disrespectful ones always had some strange ailment befall them afterwards."

"You taught them to fear you for other reasons."

"Yes. They hated me for it, but power is power no matter what form it comes in. They resented me for possessing a power they did not. They insulted me and made fun of my women's magic, and look at what I've become." Loki says as the tears start to fall. If her enemies at court could see her now.

Steve pulls her close and kisses her gently. He presses his tongue to her lips and she parts them, allowing him to dominate her. Steve's hand runs up and down her ribcage and waist. His thumb brushes the edge of her breast. He growls low in his throat. He wants her, but they need to wait.

"Yes. Tell me you'll never leave me."

"I'll never leave you." Steve replies.

"Tell me you love me, even if you don't right now. I need to hear it." Loki says. Steve thinks for a moment to ask Loki if she really wants him to lie to her, but then he wonders if it would really be a lie. He doesn't know what to think about her request, and as the milliseconds tick by pain and apprehension grows on Loki's face.

"I love you. I love your brilliant smile and incredible wit. I love how smart you are. I love that you love the ugly parts of me. You make me feel comfortable taking off the uniform." Steve says and is amazed at how easily the words rolled out.

"Steven, that first night when you came into my room and dominated me…..I liked it. I know you feel horrible because you lost control of yourself but would you like to do it again? I think you would enjoy it. I know I did."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You wouldn't be hurting me Steven. I want you to pull my hair, and spank me. I want you to grip me and hold me possessively. I want you ride me, mark me, and show me that I belong to you. And I think you want to do all those things too. Don't be afraid to be who you are Steven."

"Good guys don't do this kind of stuff."

"It's not real Steven, and yes good guys do this sort of thing all the time. Being pure and good all the time can be exhausting. Just like being in control all the time is exhausting. Take control of me, please. I'm so tired of being stuck inside my own head."

"But I thought we were abstaining until the ceremony. Denying ourselves the next couple of days won't kill us, and the build-up of tension would make it more meaningful." Steve says.

"Then don't give me permission to come. Tease me, stroke me, bring me to the brink, and then deny me. Make me suffer in want and agony all night tonight and all day tomorrow. Forbid me to touch myself." Loki whispers into Steve's ear. Just this little verbal tease alone will be enough to put the soldier on edge. Steve smiles wickedly. He likes to play games too.


	17. Chapter 17

The day before the ceremony goes by in a blur. Steve comes out of Loki's room looking exhausted. Tony pokes a jibe at him about having too much sex or something. If only he knew Steve had the opposite problem. The purple bags under his eyes and blue bags under cock are making him feel miserable. Last night had been a bad idea. Steve doesn't even want to think about or look at Loki until he is allowed to fuck her. Natasha peels a banana and takes a bite out of it and Steve practically jizzes his shorts right then. He runs back to his room and hides. Loki looks just as exhausted, frustrated, and wrecked. She winds up spending most of the day sleeping. She'll need it.

At dinner that night they go over the little details for the next day. Loki pulls forth some ceremonial robes for Steve and the girls. She also informs Thor that she will need his assistance in the morning before they leave for the sight in Pennsylvania. She needs to paint runes on her body and will not be able to reach her back. Since Thor is the only other person present that can read and write in ancient runes he gets tagged for duty. Steve will have to have paint applied as well. The girls are gleeful when they find out that this time they will be sparred.

Loki then informs everyone of another detail of the ceremony that has not yet been discussed. A sign that the spell is working will be the growth of plants around Steve and Loki. They will appear as vines at first but these vines will intertwine to form the base of a great tree. Loki and Steve will be consumed by it. Loki informs the others not to panic. After a time the tree will regurgitate their bodies safely and in one piece. Loki says that odds are she and Steve will sleep for days and to not be alarmed if this is the case. She also warns the ladies of something else.

"Do not have sex immediately following the ceremony unless you have a great desire to become with child. You are a participant in a fertility ceremony so the side effects of such magic should be obvious." Loki states as a warning to all, but the men in particular. The women are going to be very very randy when this is all over. Pepper's eyes go wide and she shoots Tony a meaningful look. She's 40 years old and he's 45. They'd talked about having kids but Pepper would have to undergo invetro fertilization at this point for it to happen. It is a process that is very time consuming, expensive, and hard on the body. Combined with everything else they had simply brushed it off as an opportunity that had passed them by. But now, they have something to think about. They all go to bed that night worrying about the fate of their world. They pray for success.

The morning of the ceremony comes and Loki gets up and eats the largest meal she has ever eaten in her life. It would put Thor to shame. She hates it but it is necessary. Her belly feels uncomfortably distended afterwards. Steve sits right beside her at breakfast eating an equally large meal.

After Steve and Loki both shower that morning Loki paints Steve's body with runes. These ones are very large and do not need to cover every square inch like what the girls had done for their cleansing, though she is using the same ink from before. She paints a very large symbol on Steve's chest and then some swirl marks going down his biceps and forearms. She then paints another very large symbol on his back along with more swirling patterns going down his ass and the back of his legs. She has Steve pace around the room a bit to let the ink dry before handing him his robe. It is royal blue like his eyes.

Loki paints her body in a similar fashion in all the places she can reach. She air dries for a moment before partially pulling her robe on and calling for Thor to assist her. With just her back exposed Loki hands Thor a paint brush and asks him to paint the rune for mother on her back. Thor's hand trembles slightly but he does it well enough.

"Mother would be very proud of you Loki."

"I know. I could see it in her eyes. Thor, what will we do if this ceremony fails?"

"Save as many as we can I suppose."

"Where would we put them all?"

"I don't know Loki. Think of love today, not just for Steven but for all living things. I have faith in you."

"Thank you brother." Loki and Thor finish up and it is time to hop on the helicopter to fly to the Pennsylvania field. There is a paparazzi storm on the streets below as reporters speculate on what the Avengers are doing and where they are going. Pepper, Jane, Maria, and Natasha are all wearing white robes with the emblem of their element stitched onto the front. Loki's robe is green, of course. The helicopter ride takes only an hour or so. It is only 10 am when they arrive.

For some reason, everyone envisioned this thing happening at night. There is a problem when they arrive, however. There are scores of people everywhere. The FBI and local authorities have managed to block off the field itself, but the surrounding area; to include the little gas station is filled with thousands of people. Everyone figured out just by using their smart phones that this tiny little farm town is the exact center of the circle of death. Taking that information and coupled with the words ceremony and many speculated correctly that it would happen here. Steve and Loki looked horrified.

The media are present and no doubt using giant zoom lenses to get a good look at the people participating. Loki is relived when she sees the tent perimeter wall erected. They all wait for the blade of the helicopter to stop completely before disembarking. Pandemonium erupts from the crowd when Tony Stark is spotted, followed by Thor, and a black man with an eye patch carrying the infamous scepter. Several women wearing what appear to be nothing more than satin robes exit as well followed by a single man wearing a satin robe. Closer inspection reveals he is none other than Captain America. People speculate about the one woman wearing the green robe. Who's she?

Nick Fury turns to Loki and hands her the scepter. "I know we are just ants to you, but please don't use this to step on us." Loki presses her lips into a thin line and nods awkwardly. Steve and the women enter the canvas perimeter and close the flap behind them. It is a bright sunny day and the light is beaming down on them. The roar of the crowd can be heard in the distance as well as the hustle and bustle of people just outside the wall. It is not a romantic setting. Steve frowns in frustration. They cannot begin this way.

"Wait. Before we get started I'm going to go out there and talk to Fury and the other authorities. What we are about to do is sacred and I will not let that rabble out there ruin this. You ladies stay here." Steve says with his Captain's voice. He exits their enclosure and walks over to the other side of the little field where several other tents are set up. Nick, the Chief of the FBI, the CIA, and several senators are present. There are also over a dozen nameless faceless personnel running about, drinking coffee and fetching things and doing god knows what.

"I want this field cleared now."

"Captain Rogers…"

"NOW! I'm going to go over to those reporters over there and explain to the people what is about to happen here. I am going to make it clear that a revered silence is required. I don't want to see or hear any airplanes flying overhead. I don't want to hear police men chatting about last night's football game just outside our tent over there. I don't want any movement on this field. Your presence here is not required, in fact, it is a hindrance. We will not begin until my orders are followed. Is that clear?"

Steve turns on his heel and walks across the field and across the road to the sea of cameras that are waiting for him. He is bombarded with questions immediately. Steve raises his hand to quiet them all before speaking.

"We are gathered here today to stop the spread of the pestilence that is killing our world. You have been told that we needed the scepter, Loki's scepter to stop it. What you have not been told is that we also need Loki to stop it. Loki is here today. Those of you that saw the woman in the green robe, that is him, or her now actually. As an act of repentance for his past crimes against our people, Loki has come to aid us in our hour of need. The ceremony taking place today is a fertility spell. Loki has transformed into a woman to make this all possible. She and I will be the central participants, with four trained priestesses to assist. What we are doing today is an act of love and if we succeed the poison will recede and the damage will be repaired, and Loki will become pregnant. Our child will be a special child, blessed with powers of protection. But in order for this to work, Loki and I, we need quiet. We need to focus on what we are doing and the noise from the crowd here is a distraction. Please, for the sake of our world, go home. Leave us in peace."

The reporters stare at him slack jawed for a moment before a flood of new questions is hurled at Steve. He ignores them all. He turns and walks back across the road to the enclosure. Word spreads like wildfire and a wave of silence covers the crowd, but no one leaves. Steve looks and sees that the field is now empty, save for a few friendly faces. Tony, Thor, Clint, and Bruce are all hanging out in the tent on the other side of the field, drinking beer and playing a card game. All the uniformed lackeys are gone.

Steve re-enters the enclosure. While he was gone Loki and the women busied themselves by readying the interior. There is a large ring of salt on the ground outlining where Loki and Steve will be. There are four points on the outline and these are the spots upon which the ladies will stand. The ground beneath their feet is brown and dead. Each step gives off a crunching sound from the dried out grass underneath. Loki must lie on this ground barebacked and exposed. It will not be comfortable for her. Her body must maintain as much physical contact with the ground as possible. She and Steve will be primarily in the missionary position for most of the ritual. There is an extra mound of salt within the circle just in front of one of the points on the outline. It is the north direction, Steve realizes. This must be the spot where the scepter goes.

"Steve, before we begin, I think we all need to take a moment to center ourselves." Loki says. Steve and the others nod. Loki looks into Steve's eyes. "We get to make a baby today." Her eyes glaze over. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you Loki."

"Tell me you mean it." She sobs.

"I do mean it." Steve kisses Loki passionately and pulls her close. They break apart.

"I love you too." She sniffles. "It's time. Take your positions."

Everyone disrobes and hangs them up on the hook that was provided by the door. There is no shyness today. This event is much too serious for such a childish sentiment. Loki plunges the scepter into the mound of salt directly in front of Natasha. Both women place their hands on the very end of the hilt and chant a phrase only Loki understands. The other three women cup their hands to focus their energy and a green circle of power rings the lovers in the center.

The couple mutters quietly to each other for a moment. Loki nods in agreement to something and they both lay down upon the earth. Steve hovers over Loki kissing her and covering her body with light and fluttery touches. His lips latch upon her left breast and Loki arches from the contact. He nibbles and sucks the little bud until it is perky and hard between his teeth.

He then kisses further down and spreads Loki's folds and buries his head between them. He's learned much in the past several days about Loki's body. He licks her slit from her opening to the apex of her clit and then latches on to the sensitive nub, sucking it hard.

"Ah! Steven!" Loki moans. "Please!" She begs. Her sweet neglect is glistening in the bright sunlight and Steve can hold back no more. He's been thinking about his moment for hours, days, his whole life! He moves back up her body, aligns his cock with her opening and pushes in.

All the women gasp in unison as Pepper, Maria, Natasha, and Jane all feel an aching throb fill their bellies. The ruins painted on Steve and Loki are glowing now and an endless stream of darkness is flowing into the circle. Natasha is directing the traffic on all of it. She feels her own glistening folds leaking between her legs and breaks out in a sweat. Steve and Loki intertwine their fingers. Steve is rutting into Loki hard as he whispers sweet and loving words into her ear.

"Beautiful….I want to marry you….in a church….white dress…..hold our baby…." He pants as he goes. Loki is crying. She wants all of that. The church ceremony makes her roll her eyes inwardly, but she understands the significance of it for Steve.

"We can be together…. make love how we want…for the rest of our lives….." Loki's words embolden Steve and he picks up his pace even faster. He feels an energy level and strength in his stamina that is high, even for him. The ground beneath them is glowing with both green light and veins of blackness. Not all of the toxin is out of the ground yet. Steve feels his orgasm building and he reaches down between them to stroke Loki's clit.

"I'm going to come Loki." Loki nods, she's almost there also.

"Fill me darling. Make me feel complete." She cries. Steve howls as his body seizes and his cock pumps his seed into Loki's womb. Loki gushes fluids around his cock and the ground beneath them soaks up their combined fluids. They only lay still for a moment. "Stand up." Loki orders Steve. They are not finished yet. They will keep going until the poison is gone and the land is healed. They've only just begun.

Outside the ritual Tony, Clint, Thor, and Bruce sit quietly watching the minutes tick by. They notice the veins of dark magic in the ground beneath their feet traveling towards the enclosure. They also hear every grunt, gasp, moan, and tender word coming from Steve and Loki. The shapes of the hills are having a bit of an amphitheater effect. Sound carries very well here with no soft grass to absorb it. The crowd across the street can probably hear them too. An hour goes by and the blackness is still being sucked out of the ground.

Loki sucks Steve's cock until it is hard and erect again. Then they are back down again and Steve continues showering Loki with love and affection. About halfway through their second round Loki notices the blackness is almost completely gone. The last of the blackness flows into the scepter and Loki orders Natasha to pull the scepter from the ground and lays it at her feet. Natasha then cups her hands and everything the women have flows right into Loki. She gasps from the surge of power, emotion, and arousal. It is clear that Steve feels it too because his movements become frantic and desperate. His movements are primal and possessive. This is how Steve really likes to fuck. He grips the back of Loki's head hard and pulls her up into a lustful needy kiss. He growls at her.

"Tell me you love me."

"I love you Steven. I love you so fucking much." Loki wraps her arms around him; her fingers digging in to his should blades. The ground beneath her begins to soften as rich green grass replaced brown. A little vine pops out and wraps around Loki's right bicep.

"It's working Steven! You do love me!" She sobs. More vines appear and wrap around their bodies. When Steve thrusts hard into Loki one last time, his seed spills into her womb, and the ground explodes with life. The vines connect and swallow up Loki and Steve in their hollow center forming the trunk of a great tree. The women are knocked from their feet and the circle is broken. They did it. The great tree grows and rushes as its branches meet the sky. Pepper, Jane, Maria, and Natasha are only given mere seconds to cover up before the girth of the tree trunk crowds them out. They stumble out of the enclosure. Natasha has the scepter in hand. The tent walls collapse as the tree breaks them apart. In a matter of minutes it is as tall as a skyscraper. The field is now covered with beautiful wildflowers. Satellite images show the green radiating out from the center healing everything that was dead.

Cheers erupt and the crowd rushes the field. Scores of people run up to touch the tree and marvel at it. The Avengers and their women hide in the safety of their little tent, completely forgotten by the massive horde around them.

"Are Steven and Loki still inside the tree?" Thor asks.

"Yes." Jane answers.

"How long before that thing spits them out?" Tony asks.

"We don't know, but they'll be naked when they come out. I'll go find their robes." Pepper says. She wades into the crowd and finds them buried beneath one of the tent walls at the base of the tree. After several minutes goes by people start to remember that the Avengers are there. Reporters swoop in and bombard them with questions. They retreat to their tent and close the flap.

"Jesus! How the hell are we going to get them out of there?" Tony exclaims.

"I could Hulk out and scare the shit out of them." Bruce says.

"No, don't do that." Pepper chides him. An hour goes by and then the sounds from the crowd alert the crew that something is happening. They step back outside and look up. Steve's limp body is being lowered by the tree. Massive vines are cradling him as he descends. The tree branches place him on the ground gently. Steve is covered head to toe in a thick sheen of sticky pitch or nectar. He has a faint smile on his sleeping face. Pepper covers him immediately.

"Where's Loki?" Jane asks. On cue a giant flower bud sprouts from the base of the tree. It continues growing until it is the size of a van. The great yellow flower blooms open and from its center out slides Loki's sleeping body. Like Steve she if covered in sticky liquid and is smiling like an angel. Flash photography erupts.

"DO YOU MIND!" Thor bellows at the crowd. Pepper covers her quickly as well. The lovers are collected and spirited away to an awaiting helicopter. They sleep for three days.


	18. Chapter 18

The hour ride back to the tower was a long one. Pepper, Jane, Maria, and Natasha were all fidgety. The men chalked it up to magic or nerves or some other such leftover of the ritual. Loki is carried by the women to her bathroom for a good scrub down. Then men take Steve to Tony's large bath tub to do the same thing.

"I'm not scrubbing Cap's junk." Clint declares.

"1,2,3…..NOT IT!" Tony yells and touches his nose. Thor looks at his three friends with confusion. What the hell are they doing?

"Congratulations Point Break, you get to scrub Cap's nether regions."

"This is wholly unfair….playing games I'm not familiar with….fair competition….." Thor grumbles as Bruce slaps the wet washcloth into his hand. "If any of you ever speak of this I'll take you up into the sky and drop you." The men all chuckle at him as they each grab a limb and scrub the thick sticky sap off Steve's body. Tony runs and grabs a set of Cap's pajamas from his room and men all help to lift and redress him. A quick peek into Loki's room shows the women have finished with her and Loki is resting comfortably in bed. They decide to place Steve beside her.

Everyone converges in the living room. The girls are still wearing their white robes and nothing else. What the men do not yet realize is that all four of them are in agony. Pepper shoots Tony a serious look and places a hand over her abdomen. Her eyes are begging and Tony knows what they are going to do. He takes her hand and leads her back to their room to make a baby.

Clint can smell Natasha's arousal which is dripping between her legs. Natasha feels like her mind is being torn to pieces as her logical mind and her desire to get pregnant do battle for supremacy. She knows she is not herself right now but all she wants to do is drag Clint back to her room and make him knock her up. She doesn't even want children, but Clint does, and she loves him. She really does.

"Barton, we need to talk." She says as she grabs his hand and drags him away. Jane is less patient and leaps into Thor's arm, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Fuck me!" Jane orders.

"But Loki warned us not to procreate after the ceremony, lest I get you with child."

"So? You're going to marry me right?"

"Yes."

"So what's the problem?" Jane asks with and edge of annoyance. Her womb is aching and throbbing and she needs him NOW! Thor realizes, she's right. He'd rather marry her first and then breed her as it is the more honorable course of action, but if they have a fast ceremony before she begins to show, what difference does it make? He carries her away.

Maria and Bruce stand there awkwardly. Maria is so desperate for a fuck right now but she and Bruce have only been together a couple of days. They don't even know if this is serious yet or not.

"Right so I'll just go…home now." She says in a shaky voice and swallows hard. Her whole body is trembling in need. Bruce hates to see her suffer but he just met her and he doesn't want to just knock up his new girlfriend of all of 52 hours.

"I'll see if I can find you a decent change of clothes and call a cab for you." Bruce says and starts to walk away. He is shocked by the roar he hears inside his own head. The other guy is pissed and most definitely does not agree with this decision. Bruce feels the change starting.

"No! NO! Maria run!" Bruce yells but it is too late. His clothing rips and falls away from his enormous green body. Maria holds up her hand and calls on her new powers to calm the great beast. She is surprised by the touch of a great gentle hand. "Hulk love." Like King Kong, the Hulk bends down and scoops up Maria and cradles her. He carries her back to his room where he and Maria spend the rest of day soothing the savage beast.

XxXxXxXxXx

The next day Pepper drags Tony and Thor to a television interview to explain Steve's comments to the media the day before. The whole world is grateful for what was done, but they are still having trouble reconciling that the villain of New York is now their savior and that he is now a she and that she and Captain America are now a couple and expecting a magical baby. Soooooo….here they are.

"So wait….you are tell us that magic is real and that Loki, the guy who brought that huge alien army to conquer earth is now responsible for saving all of us?" One of the reporters asks Thor.

"Yes." He says dumbly. He finds short answers are best. The more he talks to stupider he sounds. The whole situation really is rather too fantastic to believe, and yet there is now a giant magical tree in the middle of Pennsylvania. Tony swoops in to help. He explains that yes Loki did help save the whole human race and deserves a second chance and should be pardoned by Earth for his previous crimes. She sacrificed a lot.

"But Loki is man still, isn't he? You said he turned into a woman, is that permanent? Or will she only remain a she while she is pregnant, and are she and Captain Rogers going to marry since they are expecting a child? What if Loki wants to turn back into a man after the baby is born? Will Captain Rogers stay with him? Is Captain America gay?"

"Guys! Guys! Steve and Loki are still passed out and resting from saving the world. I think these questions can wait for another day. They're fine, they're just exhausted. They'll be sleeping for a couple of days and when they wake they can speak for themselves." Tony shoots the lead interviewer an annoyed look. Thunder and lightning are flashing outside. Thor's pissed. This interview is over. Tony drags the Thunder God out of the studio before there is an intergalactic incident.

XxXxXxXxXx

Loki and Steve awaken simultaneously. Their eyes pop open and instantly glide to one another. It is several moments before they realize they can hear each other's thoughts. They then notice that they can both sense the life force of the child. Loki tries to figure out why this is. Thinking on it she realizes that in having a child that is unable to speak, it will also be unable to cry, scream, laugh, or do anything else to communicate its needs. Telepathy is a necessity.

Steve looks refreshed but Loki still has purple bags under her eyes after three days of rest. Her whole body, inside and out feels like a ripped open scab. It will take days for her to replenish her magic powers. She couldn't magic up a glass of water from the tap right now if she wanted to. Her stomach growls loudly. Steve hops up from the bed.

'_Let's go eat._'

'_Can't. Pain. Hurt to move._'

'_You need to eat. I'll carry you._'

'_I can walk_.'

'_Liar.'_

_ 'Damn it! Fine, but you're not carrying me.'_ Steve helps her up from the bed and wraps an arm behind her around her waist, pulling her close to him. He takes her other hand in his to steady her as they walk to the kitchen. Neither Steve nor Loki have any idea what time of day it is or how many days they have been asleep.

"HEY!" The couple is greeted warmly by everyone in the kitchen. Loki looks pale and frail and her lips look white and chapped. Steve guides her to a chair at the table.

'_Cheese, rolls, fish, apples, eggs, oatmeal…_' Loki looks up at Steve and places her order. To Steve she sounds like Loki, and her voice is as clear as a bell. What everyone else hears creeps them out. They see Steve and Loki staring into each other's eyes and the sound of disembodied whispers filling the air. Steve opens up the fridge and cupboard to pull out ingredients and utensils. Everyone just stares at him.

"Steve buddy, you look like you are glowing. How do you feel?" Tony asks. But instead of an answer Steve looks at him and more disembodied whispers fill the air. A small smile slips across Steve's face. Guess it doesn't work with everyone.

"Sorry, I guess only Loki can hear me clearly. I feel fine, uh great actually. Um Loki and I can hear each other's thoughts and we can feel the baby. We'll probably be able to hear it's thoughts too once it gets bigger."

"Wow. Any other new developments?" Natasha asks.

"No." Steve shakes his head. "How long were we out?"

"Three days." Jane chimes in.

"Three days! Did anything happen while we were sleeping?" Everyone looks at each other and there is a pregnant pause as no one responds to the question right away.

"The spell did work didn't it?"

"Oh! Yeah! Yeah! It's fine Steve. Don't worry about that, it worked. You guys saved the world."

"Sooooo….."

"You're all pregnant aren't you." Loki says out of the blue. Her eyes scan up and down each woman, assessing them in turn. Pepper is the first to express her joy, beaming ear to ear.

"Yes! Loki I can't thank you enough. Tony and I thought it was too late for us." She runs over to hug the God of Mischief.

"And the rest of you?" Loki asks. The three women nod their heads. Bruce is snuggling Maria closely as she leans against the breakfast bar.

"Even you two? Interesting."


	19. Chapter 19

It has been a week since the ceremony. After the intensity of the days leading up to the event everyone at the tower takes their time to relax and enjoy the fact that the extinction of the human race has been averted. Now that the immediate pressure is gone Steve and Loki find they have a lot of long term questions to answer, some of which, they didn't dare entertain in the lead up to the ritual. It escapes everyone's attention, due to the telepathy, but they have been fighting all day.

Loki is anxious to move out of the tower. She wants a place of their own. In light of the crowd of crazed admirers that have decided to camp out on the streets below, Steve is having second thoughts about leaving. Security and safety are important to him. Loki insists that she can protect the family just fine and that Steve is being a chauvinist because she looks like a woman right now. Steve says that the more he thinks about it the more he likes the idea of staying in the tower because his work, more or less, is here and Loki would have the emotional and social support of the other pregnant women. Loki is unimpressed by the argument. She is still hung up on the lack of privacy and that damned invisible butler spying on everything they do. Hasn't she done enough to earn everyone's trust by now?

The humans trust her. Apparently praying to the Norse Gods of old is back in vogue. Loki and Thor have not heard the prayers of humans in years. Loki started noticing the very old but familiar tug at the back of her mind from mortals praying to her for their favor. She's missed being worshipped as the god she is. Thor simply finds it annoying. It is another duty he must attend to and it cuts into his precious time with Jane, but he's not getting near the volume of prayers that Loki is. Many are prayers of thanks. Were it not for the telepathy, Steve would not even know that this is going on. Needless to say, Steve's unflapping faith in only one god (when he personally knows two gods and one is carrying his child) is a little awkward. Loki finds his devotion to his god amusing, but leaves him alone on the subject. Even Loki knows there are some buttons that should not be pushed.

The paparazzi have been unrelenting according to the others. Steve and Loki have not left the tower at all this week and apparently everyone on planet earth is begging for an audience with them. However, after several days of staring at the same walls, Steve and Loki both have a case of cabin fever. They want to go outside, and they know they will not be able to enjoy a simple bright and sunny day at central park until they deal with the media. Pepper is a fountain of knowledge about the subject.

"Go out to dinner tonight, someplace exclusive. Let yourselves be seen, but at the same time go somewhere where approaching you is essentially forbidden by society." Pepper recommends.

"You have yet to take me out on a date Mr. Rogers." Loki smirks. Steve pulls her close and kisses her. A mental flash of him pounding Loki in the ass passes through and Steve blushes, rather than Loki. He hates that Loki can see transient thoughts like that. Loki lightly brushes her fingertips over the fabric of Steve's jeans covering his cock. Steve's breath hitches. They haven't had sex since the ceremony. Granted they slept for three days after, but Steve is already anxious to hear the delicate whimpers and guttural moans that he can rip from her throat.

Pepper calls in reservations to a place Steve has never heard of, something French sounding. He puts on a nice suit and waits for his date. Loki emerges from her bedroom minutes after and she dressed to kill. Her emerald evening gown is deceptively conservative. With a high collar neckline and long full length sleeves and full skirt it looks very regal from the front. The back, however, is open exposing everything from the shoulders down to just above her gorgeous rear. The fabric is also clingy in certain areas, playing up her curves in spite of all the yards of fabric. Her hair is up off her neck in an intricate set of pinned up braids. The ensemble is decorated with silver trim to include a simple silver circlet on top of her head. She looks like a princess, not that Loki ever pined after women's clothing before. She just wants to look good, no matter what body she's stuck in.

Steve's jaw drops. Hot damn! He could get used to this. Tony lets out a low whistle. Everybody turns to look. Loki looks pretty. Thor is shocked. He knows his brother has always had a vain streak, but he never expected Loki to embrace being female so fully. If ever Thor had any doubts about Loki being ergi they have been washed away. Steve is about to open his mouth to say something heart felt when Thor ruins the moment.

"Is wearing women's clothing a new thing, or have you always worn them in secret when no one was looking?" Thor chuckles. Steve's eyes go wide as all of the old memories of Loki's tormented adolescence rears up into a blazing fire. Loki's eyes glaze over with pain and hate and just as Loki is about to screech at Thor the most acidic venomous insult she can conjure, Steve punches Thor squarely in the face.

Thor cries out in pain and is momentarily blinded by the tears. Loki grabs Steve's arm to restrain him from throwing any more blows. One was enough, and it was just what she needed. Steve turns to look at her. Her eyes are glazed over with unshed tears that Thor's words have caused. Thor regains his vision. His anger from being struck boils up as he looks at Steve. But his anger turns to shame when he sees the hurt in Loki's eyes. Steve is holding her. His thumb traces a cheek as one tear slides down it. The couple turns to look at Thor.

"Don't ever insult her like that again." Steve says in the sternest voice he possesses. Thor is left holding his bloody nose as the couple turns and takes their leave. They ride the elevator down to the garage and step into the awaiting town car. Steve can feel all the past hurt and emotion flooding Loki though her face is placid and unreadable. If it were not for the telepathy he would have no idea just how deeply Thor's words hurt her. He pulls her in for a kiss.

"_You are powerful, and beautiful, and I love you so very much Loki."_ Steve sends Loki a mental picture of him dominating Steve in bed while in his male form. Loki has to restrain her desire to rip his clothes off right then and there. She can't shift back into her male form for at least nine months. They kiss passionately in the car until they reach their destination. When they arrive Loki checks her make up to make sure everything is where it should be. She has to wipe away the red tint staining Steve's lips. However, there is just enough residue and puffiness left behind to leave no doubt that they had been kissing. Perfect.

Outside the restaurant are a couple of lingering photographers hoping to snap an opportunistic photo of any famous person that happens to show up here this evening. Though he is not wearing his uniform, Captain America is recognized immediately. Flashes erupt as the couple scurries quickly inside. Steve checks in with the maître de for the reservation under Rogers. Loki and Steve are both surprised when the reservation is actually listed for Her Royal Highness Princess Loki Friggason of Asgard and Captain Steven Rogers. What a mouthful. Loki preens at the last name given and realizes it had to have been Thor's idea. A flash of guilt appears and disappears in an instant with Loki deciding to simply just not be as angry with Thor as she otherwise might be. His broken nose was long overdue.

They are ushered into a grand dining hall with many large tables and a polished marble floor large enough for the waltz. Orchestra music plays in the background. If Steve does not ask her to dance tonight she will be very disappointed.

'_It would be my honor_.' Steve sends the thought to Loki. The room erupts into hushed whispering as the couple is seated. In high New York society, it does not _do_ to approach a famous person while they are eating in an establishment such as this. The intruders would be blacklisted from ever returning to the restaurant. Steve pulls out Loki's chair and she glides into her seat. The waiter offers them wine and champagne but Loki informs the waiter that she is with child and that Steve does not imbibe. They both opt for iced tea.

"Do you miss not being able to become inebriated?" Loki asks.

"Yes, a little. There were times during the war, especially when I thought Bucky was dead that I wanted to get drunk and couldn't. I wanted to numb the pain and all I could do was face it full force. I hated it. Then there are times like tonight, when I am celebrating, and a nice warm buzz would be nice too. But it is a small price to pay for all that I have gained." Steve says.

"So the serum turned you into even more of a boy scout." Loki muses.

"Yes it did."

"It must be so exhausting being so damn perfect all the time. No wonder you dream about domination and being dominated." Loki says. "Everyone looks to you to be the standard. Heaven forbid you should make any mistakes." She says sincerely. Steve appreciates her candor. She is the only person he's met here in the future that sees him as the flawed person he is, and does not scorn him for showing them.

They place their order and when their food comes Steve is bowled over by how perfect the food looks. He now understands why people take pictures of their food. It is a weird thing he's noticed that New Yorkers do. Granted, not every plate of super supreme ham and cheese omelet needs to be photographed, but this in front of him really is a work of art. Loki rolls her eyes at him.

'_Yes Steven you are one of those people now_.' Loki thinks to him. Steve grins sheepishly.

They eat their meal, enjoying that they can still communicate with one another as they chew their food. It is very convenient. A lovely song is played and Loki feels the desire to sweep across the dance floor. Steve offers her his hand. Most people these days don't even know how to ballroom dance anymore. Having a knowledgeable dance partner is very refreshing and comforting. The dance floor is relatively empty save for a few couples dancing slowly and closely. Steve and Loki mean to put them all to shame and show them how the waltz is done.

The couple glides across the room and everyone notices them. Even the orchestra, where every musician is smiling ear to ear at the sight of people who actually enjoy their style of music. The song ends and the orchestra play a new song with a more upbeat tempo. Loki and Steve twirl and whirl with such grace, the people watching them are in awe.


	20. Chapter 20

When Steve and Loki leave the restaurant they are accosted by reporters. Though it only takes but a couple minutes for their town car to pull up, it is more than enough time for the media to get their questions in.

"Is Loki pregnant?" A reporter asks Steve, jamming the microphone into his face. Of course Loki is not one to be ignored.

"Yes I am." Loki answers for him.

"Are you getting married?" Another asks. Steve and Loki look at each other. _'If you don't answer yes to that question we are going to have a serious problem.' _Loki thinks to Steve. Steve responds back. '_Eloping sounds good right now_.'

"Yes." Steve answers.

"When is the wedding? Why doesn't Loki have an engagement ring yet? Do you love her? Is she going to turn back into a man after the baby is born? Do you support gay marriage?" Several reporters shout over each other hoping to get their question answered.

"We haven't decided yet, because I've been too busy, yes I love her and if she wants to turn back into a man later that is Loki's choice, and since I'll be married to him, I guess that means I'm gay." Steve answers in one solid breath. The crowd erupts into more questions, but the town car pulls up and Steve and Loki make a hasty get away.

"Darling you didn't have to do that, especially that last part. You haven't even fucked me in my male form yet."

"I want to."

"That is true, for now you'll just have to settle for my dripping cunt. I hope don't find it to be too conventional and boring." Loki says. Steve sends Loki a dirty mental image of them back at the restaurant. Steve climbs under the table and Loki's dress and eats her out while she tries to keep a straight face.

'_Dessert_.'

Loki chuckles at Steve's attempt to make her blush, mostly because it is working. She shoots him a dirty mental image back of being in her male form and Steve pounding his ass like a bulldozer. Steve grabs Loki roughly and pulls her in for a sloppy possessive kiss. He reaches under her grand skirt, finds her panties and rips them. He pulls and pulls until the tattered remains come away free in his hand. He sniffs them before stuffing them into his pocket. His hand goes back under her skirt and Loki spreads her legs. Steve shoves two fingers deep into her. By the time they get back to the tower Steve has an embarrassing erection and a damp palm slick with Loki juice.

The elevator dings and when the doors open Clint, Tony, and Thor are all greeted by the sight of Steve fucking Loki against the wall.

"Wrong floor." Steve says as he mashes the close door button with his thumb. "Captain, I do believe I'm starting to rub off on you." Loki says.

Clint looks traumatized. The news is on and Steve is on the television. "Flash: Captain America is Gay!" The guys listen to the playback, not believing their own ears.

"He was just fucking with the media right? I mean….he's fucking her right now and he clearly likes girls." Clint asks without conviction.

"I don't know man; it sounded like he'd thought it through." Tony says.

"What is gay?" Thor asks.

"Guys who like to have sex with other guys." Clint explains.

"Oh! Ergi. Loki is ergi, or at least those were the rumors back when we lived in Asgard together."

"Yeah, you might want to refrain from any comments about Loki's sex life and gender for a while." Tony says to him. Thor frowns, mostly out of embarrassment.

"It's not gay if Loki is a girl though." Clint insists.

"Loki will not be content with being female forever. I imagine after the child is born he will shift back into his old body." Thor says. Clint looks frightened.

"Dude, not Captain America…He's like the epitome of vanilla, white bread, old fashioned, grandpa America. He's not supposed to be freaky like the rest of us." Clint says with a mix of nostalgia and disappointment.

"Steve's just a guy, and last I checked America is a freaky place filled with a lot of freaky closeted people. He'll fit right in." Tony says.

"Is….has that….the elevator hasn't budged an inch has it?" Clint asks.

"Nope."

"You're gonna disinfect that thing right?"

"With bleach and napalm."

XxXxXxXxXx

"Ah…ah…ah….ah…" Loki moans wantonly as Steve fucks her against the elevator wall. "Steven!" She cries. Steve breathes heavily as he fucks her up against the wall. He comes inside of her and Loki feels the squishy wet mess running down her legs. Steve lets her down and she smooths out her skirts. Steve zips his pants back up. Aside from their sweat, breathing, and the distinct smell of sex they look like nothing has happened. Steve pushes the button and they finally disembark from the elevator. They have a brief discussion of his room or hers before going to Loki's bedroom. This living arrangement needs to be addressed soon. But there are more pressing matters at the moment, like Loki's need to orgasm.

"Bend me over and ravage my ass." Loki orders. Steve pushes her over to the bed and lifts her skirts back up. Within seconds his cock is back out and he is hard again. He lines up with her back entrance and pushes in.

"AH!" Loki cries out. The intrusion burns a little from the lack of lubrication but after a minute things relax and Steve is able to ride her with full force. Steve moans uncontrollably as her tight heat squeezes his cock with every thrust. He spanks her ass, watching it giggle and redden with each blow. Loki comes with a loud scream. Steve pulls her ass cheeks apart to watch as he slides into her over and over again. We he comes he pulls out slowly so that white cream oozes out of her gaping hole. The visual is obscene.

XxXxXxXxXx

"I'm renovating the tower…..again." Steve announces at breakfast giving Loki a meaningful look. "Loki once again you are to blame." He says with a playful grin. "It has come to my attention that we are all crammed onto one floor like a bunch of sardines and all the ladies are pregnant so…."

"Anthony I appreciate the sentiment…but Steven and I need a place of our own." Loki says to cut him off.

"You will. Each couple is getting their own floor." Tony says resolutely, hoping to quell any arguments from the others.

"Tony that is a very generous offer, but you don't have to do that." Bruce says as he takes Maria's hand into his. They have been spending every moment together just trying to get to know one another. Bruce already knows that he doesn't want to let her go. Whatever happenstance of fate that brought them together like this, he is grateful for it. Maria is still adjusting. You don't go from trained soldier and assassin to wife and mommy overnight without a few bumps. But she likes Bruce. He's sweet and quiet and makes her laugh at his unabashed nerdiness. He's affectionate and protective and hot damn if that big green muscle monster doesn't make her hot and bothered! The fact that the Hulk responds to her and is calmed by her presence speaks volumes. They are good together.

"So let me be generous. Look I know we aren't all going to live here all the time and certainly not for the rest of our lives, but Hydra is still out there, along any number of other unnamed threats. All the ladies are pregnant, and with all the Loki worshipping Armageddon nuts hanging around, this is the safest place for everyone to be. Besides, I like that we are all here….together." Tony proselytizes from his soap box.

"Awe Tony- I didn't know you cared!" Clint, who is sitting next to Tony, leans in with his lips puckered in a swooning fashion. Tony face palms him. People chuckle.

"Gah! AH! Your woman's over there Big Bird."

"Anthony, again I appreciate the sentiment, but Steven and I would like our privacy."

"You'll have a whole floor to yourselves."

"That's not what I meant."

"What? Are you talking about Jarvis? I can leave him out of the floor design if it bothers you that much. Besides, can't you just do some freaky voodoo magic shit and turn him off when you want?" Tony asks. Loki grumbles something unintelligible because the answer is yes. Steve shoots her a pleading look and a begging thought.

'_Pleeeeeeease….' _Steve thinks to her.

"Uh! Fine! We'll stay. How long will the renovations take?" Loki asks.

"Construction crews begin tomorrow, one for each floor. I'm paying overtime to expedite things. You guys should be ready to move into your new digs inside of two weeks." Tony says.

"There is another topic that needs to be discussed." Thor announces. Everyone turns to look at him. "Tomorrow I return to Asgard with the scepter. Loki, do you wish to join me?"

"I am bound to this realm while I am with child. I cannot leave." Loki lies. It is true that the child will be tied to earth once it is born, but that does not prohibit Loki from traveling while pregnant. Steve senses the lie but says nothing. He understands Loki's reasons. Thor cannot hide the disappointment from his face.

"Jane, you carry my child. It is high time you and I were wed. I need to know the manner of ceremony you would like. We can have a grand event in Asgard attended by thousands of people; we can go down to City Hall and wed there with only our friends as witnesses, or some combination in between. Please think on it while I am away." Thor says.

"City Hall." Jane answers immediately. "Your dad hates me. We're getting married at City Hall."

"We'll join you." Clint says as he gently places his hand on top of Natasha's. Natasha is rarely soft in her countenance, but the love in her eyes for him speaks volumes.

"I would prefer this as well. I've rather had enough of being made a public spectacle." Loki says. She feels a wave of disappointment wash over her from Steve. He understands her feelings but he has feelings of his own about the matter. _'I know darling. I'll make it up to you._' Loki sends him a loving thought.

"Marry me." Maria suddenly turns to Bruce.

"Babe, we need to talk about this. I don't want us to rush headlong into this."

"Too late. I'm pregnant with your Hulk baby so like it or not we are in this for the long haul. I like you Bruce and I know you like me. Our marriage will start out backwards, but so what? Love will come later. We will work on it together." Maria says. Bruce looks uncertain, and Thor speaks up to quell his fears.

"It is true my friend. Where I come from prearranged marriages are common place. And while some marriages wind up being loveless, I do not believe that will be the case with you. Love will flourish in time, and you have responsibilities to honor." Thor says.

"You're the only woman I've ever felt safe around while being….HIM. Anyone else I'd be too afraid of accidently hurting or worse. I still worry but it is more of a minor anxiety than an all-encompassing fear. I need you in my life Maria. I've been so terribly lonely." Bruce says. He pulls her in for a deep passionate kiss full of bacon, orange juice, and pancakes.

Pepper looks at Tony and smirks. Well….shit. She's been his wife in all but name for a while now anyway…and she's pregnant…and yeah…he loves her. Plus he's totally surrounded. "I'll arrange for all of us to make a trip to City Hall when Thor gets back from Asgard." Tony says.


	21. Chapter 21

The Bifrost touched down on the balcony of Avengers Tower and Thor re-emerged after having been gone for three days. He's not exactly alone either. He is surrounded by stuff. There are chests and baskets filled with random objects and a very big, very conspicuous looking keg filled with some kind of alcohol. Jane runs up and gives him a big hug. His track record of returning to her when he visits Asgard is not a good one.

"I have missed you terribly Jane. I have brought you gifts and Loki as well." Thor says giving her a warm smile and quick peck on the lips. The others trickle outside and ogle the stash of goods. Some of the items visible are obviously for babies. There are baby blankets, swaddling clothes, and rattles.

"Damn Rolling Thunder, did you raid the only Baby Gap in Asgard?" Tony muses as he surveys the all the neat stuff. Loki spies a couple of items that look very familiar and her heart fills with sadness. Frigga made some of these items. Thor has brought her their family treasures.

"Jane, might I speak with Loki in private for a little while? There are some things from home I need to share with her." Thor asks.

"Of course." Jane says. Thor picks up a large basket and carries it inside as Loki follows behind him. Thor heads straight to Loki's room and places the basket on the bed. Loki pulls out the baby blanket and smells deeply of it. It even smells like Frigga, however faintly. It is green with gold swirls and gold trim. Every stitch was placed lovingly by their mother. Thor hasn't spoken a word and Loki is already on the verge of tears.

"Father has been watching since your return. He knows of everything that has transpired. He says you are welcome to come home when you are ready, but he also acknowledges that may be a long while yet."

"He's not wrong." Loki says sarcastically. She has no intensions of returning to Asgard ever again. She hates the People of Asgard. She hates Odin. She hates her past and doesn't want to look back anymore. It hits Loki in that moment, Midgard is her home. Her child will be bound to this land, and Loki is bound to a mortal, whom she loves far more than she cares to admit. Steve is mortal and will die one day, far too soon for Loki's tastes. Like Thor with Jane, Loki will never be ready when Steve passes on.

"Thor? What manner of ale is in that keg you brought with you?"

"Ah, you are so observant brother. That is the matter I wished to speak with you about in private. Where is Steven?"

"He's in the gym." Loki says slowly as a hard pit twists her stomach.

"Father saw fit to grant a boon to those that assisted you in the ceremony to save Midgard, as well to those that fought to retrieve the scepter."

"What kind of ale in in the keg Thor?" Loki says urgently.

"Idunn's Ale. The Ale of the Golden Apple." Thor says seriously.

"He wouldn't." Loki says quietly.

"He did. Now that Jane is pregnant father accepts her as my mate, my wife, and my future queen. Our child will be my heir, and will rule Asgard when I am gone. I don't have to tell you the effects the ale will have on human longevity."

"It will increase it tenfold. One swallow of that will extend their lives for a thousand years. Their unborn children would also benefit. My child would benefit."

"Aye. Being half-jotunn your child will already be longer lived than a mere mortal but still live a short life in comparison to our own. The ale will help her a great deal. You should drink it Loki, as should Steven. He is good for you. I've never seen you happier."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment Thor. It is one thing for me to marry someone I expect to die in a few decades, but I don't know if I love him so much as to be bound to him for the rest of my days."

"First you balk because he is mortal, then because he could be made immortal. What is your true complaint Loki?" Thor asks in all seriousness.

"I don't know." Loki says. She's afraid but of what she doesn't know.

"Then what are your fears?" Thor asks curious. Loki is an enigma even to himself.

"That he'll become immortal and then tire of me and leave me, or worse that he'll choose not to drink the ale and I'll resent him for it and then our budding little happiness will dissolve like so much sea foam. That he's too good for me, to be stuck with me for the rest of eternity as a punishment for being so damned good!"

"I see." Thor chuckles. Loki glares at him. How can he laugh at a time like this! "Where is Steven Loki?"

"I told you. In the gym I think. Why?"

"I think it's time to tell the others what's in the keg." Thor grins mischievously.

"Thor! Thor don't you dare! You can't just drop immortality on them like you are gifting them with a new dress!"

"Watch me. Jarvis, please summon Steven to the living room. Tell him it is urgent."

"No! Thor damn you, you stupid oaf! Stop meddling in my life!"

"You know what brother, you think too much." Thor pulls something out of his pocket that he kept hidden. It is a slumber locket, often gifted to new mothers to help them fall back to sleep quickly after waking to care for a newborn. He shoves it under Loki's nose and she is knocked out instantly. He lays her gently on the bed. He's got a good 10 minutes before it wears off and Loki arises pissed off beyond measure. Loki is going curse Thor a blue streak. Oh well.

Thor strides quickly back out to the common area. He hoists up the large keg over his shoulder and places it on the bar in living room.

"My friends gather round. I have a treat to share with all of you." Thor says with a very large smile. Everyone is present. Nick, Bruce, Steve, Maria, Natasha, Clint, Jane, Tony, and Pepper.

"Where's Loki? I'll go get her." Steve asks.

"No Steven. Let her be for a little bit. She is tired and wants a few minutes alone." Thor says to gently to his friend. In light of all the things Thor has brought from home, Steve can understand if Loki is feeling emotional and doesn't want him to see her cry. He'll give her a few minutes and then peek on her to make sure she is okay.

"So what is this stuff?" Natasha asks.

"It is apple ale from Asgard." Thor says as he passes around shot glasses of the liquid to everyone.

"We shouldn't drink alcohol Thor. It's not good for the babies." Pepper says.

"I assure you a quantity this small will do your unborn babes no harm, in fact Asgard's apple ale is hailed for its restorative powers. It is a blessing I assure you." Thor says as he hands a shot glass to Jane. Well if he feels comfortable enough to give it to his own girl and their baby then it should be fine. "To the babies." Thor toasts as he knocks back a shot. Everyone lifts their shot glass to their lips and drinks.

"Wow! That is really really good!" Jane exclaims as she licks her lips. Thor looks around at everyone to ensure that they have all imbibed of the liquid.

"That was like the world's best hard apple cider on steroids." Tony adds. Steve is licking his lips. It is really good. He doesn't normally bother drinking alcohol anymore, but he really likes the taste of this stuff. He wouldn't mind having another.

"STOOOOPPPPPP!" Loki screams as she runs down the hall. She is too late. Thor takes his shot glass and turns it upside down on the bar with a loud thud. Everyone looks at the horror on her face and then turns back to Thor with fear. Thor beams a sunny smile at all of them.

"Congratulations my friends. You're all immortal now."

XxXxXxXxXx

"You inconsiderate selfish fool! Did you even ask them if they wanted it?" Loki screams at his brother.

"No and with good reason. I took the decision from them to make it easier. It is done. They may hate me and be angry for a while but in time they will come to appreciate the gift they have been given."

"As they watch everyone they love around them grow old and die!"

"Then they can come to Asgard and be amongst others that are long lived like them. Like us!"

"Again you assume that is something they would want!"

"It is something they want. Mortals long for immortality all the time, and they won't be alone. They will have each other, their children, and us. They will not suffer loneliness or sadness as much as you fear."

"And what of my own child Thor! She is bound to earth and can never visit Asgard. Extending her life would be a cruelty."

"No Loki! Don't you see? One of the other children, a male child, she can be paired off with him and be happy."

"There are five children Thor, and for all we know all five of them may turn out to be female."

"Yours may be guaranteed to be female, but the others could all be male. She could have as many as four suitors to choose from."

"One of which would be her cousin and the future King of Asgard, who by that virtue alone would exclude him from consideration. She would have three at most to choose from, and odds are it won't even be that. It is a stupid reason to do this Thor."

"It wasn't my only reason as you well know. Jane and my child will be by my side as will our friends. We will all have each other."

"I hope they kick your ass." Loki says as she walks back into the living room. She and Thor have been shouting at each other out there for well over an hour. Everyone else stayed inside looking shell shocked. Tony has a sappy dreamy smile on his face. He's fucking ecstatic about all this. Pepper looks stunned, but not necessarily upset. Nick looks grim as always. He is definitely pissed. Steve, Maria, and Bruce all looked worried. Clint and Natasha are hard to read, as usual. Jane is beaming from ear to ear.

Loki turns to address them all as they no doubt have questions as to what Thor meant by "immortal."

"Please forgive my stupid brother. He never thinks things through." Loki starts.

"No fucking shit!" Nick replies. He was actually looking forward to retirement. Loki clears her throat.

"The ale you drank came from Indunn's apples. In Asgard we eat and drink food and beverages made from them daily to keep us young, though we do not need to consume them so often. An apple a year keeps the wrinkles at bay or so the old saying goes. Anyway, for mortals the effects are bit more powerful. All of you have had your lives extended by a thousand years, to include your unborn children. You will not age as other humans do now, though you are still just as vulnerable to injury and death as before. To Thor and I, a thousand years is hardly immortal but for your kind…. a thousand years is a very long time. Do any of you have any questions?"

"Yeah, so uh…are we still doing the City Hall thing? I know that pledging our love to each other forever and all of that…forever just got whole lot longer so…..I figured now would be the best time to go…before we over think it too much." Steve says looking at Loki. He wants to marry her and if there is one thing Loki is good at, it's overthinking things into ruin.


	22. Chapter 22

Everyone is pissed at Thor to some degree or another. Nick is living up to his last name. Furious is an understatement. Eternity frightens him. He doesn't want to spend the next thousand years fighting bad guys. He wants to go fishing. Okay maybe not fishing, and not necessarily right away but maybe in ten years or so? What the fuck is he going to do with himself for the next thousand years?

Bruce and Maria just feel overwhelmed. The last two weeks have turned both their lives upside down and neither one of them can handle one more major revelation like this. It is too much pressure and the cracks in their relationship are beginning to show. They have their first fight and it is a rip roaring one. Bruce feels his other half wanting to come out and tear the tower to shreds. At one point Maria is forced to stop yelling at Bruce and calm him down. They both learn very quickly that having big fights is not an option. They have to work through their differences another way, like not letting things build to the point of shouting, though recent circumstances are exceptional. Blunt and brutal honesty is their best option.

"I resent that you Hulked out and knocked me up when I was vulnerable. I was out of my mind and desperate at the time. It's not fair that we've been thrust together like this." Maria says.

"I hate that this all happened essentially without my consent. Hulk wanted what he wanted and you weren't strong enough to say no. I feel trapped." Bruce confesses.

"We both do. So what are we going to do about it?" Maria asks.

"I don't want to give up. It is all backwards as you said and so it is going to be harder for us at first. I do…..want you. I want to be with you. I like the idea of us, even though we are still figuring each other out. You're beautiful and smart and really damn funny. I think the feeling of being forced together is getting in the way of us….being together." Bruce says to the mother of his child.

"I want you too Bruce, and I agree that all this extra weird stuff being tossed at us all at once hasn't helped. We need to just date for a while. I want flowers and dinner and to watch you make an ass of yourself at karaoke."

"I want you to pretend that you are physically incapable of farting, fill up our apartment with girly stuff like scented candles, and yell at me in general for being a slob."

"You're not a slob. Your room is very tidy."

"You haven't seen the lab. There are papers everywhere. It drives Tony nuts." Bruce says. Maria chuckles.

"Do you think we have what it takes to spend eternity together?" She asks him.

"If Tony has taught me anything it's that you should always bet on yourself."

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony doesn't admit it to Pepper but the thought of really being immortal scares him, mostly because it gives him more time to screw things up with her. Eventually she'll get tired of his shit and leave him. Why hasn't he married her yet? Pepper feels like a great weight has been lifted. She now has time to really be a mom and pursue her career at a pace that won't kill her. She even drank the apple ale at a point in her life where she stills looks young and attractive. She is more than happy to look 40 for the next several hundred years.

Clint and Natasha haven't said a word to anyone else about how they feel and their faces are as cryptic as ever. For several days they avoid talking about it. Finally, in a quiet moment and out of the blue Clint says to Natasha, "If anything happens to you Nat, I won't be long behind. I can't do eternity without you."

"Don't get stupid then, because I'd be useless too. We need to stick around for each other, for at least the next 20 years. Once our kid can take care of himself we can go back to living as dangerously as we want." Natasha says.

"I'm going to ask Loki if she knows of any magic spells for safety or protection or something. We have too much to lose now."

"We can't be afraid to live either Clint." Natasha warns. Clint smiles at her. She always finds a way to keep him grounded. He loves her for that.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Jane like it or not you are going to become the future queen of Asgard someday. Your child will be Thor's heir and will ascend to the throne after he is gone. You and Thor can play house and pretend you're going to spend the rest of eternity on Midgard, but Odin is an old man. You'll be lucky if you can raise your first born to adulthood before Thor is called back to serve." Loki explains to Jane.

He couldn't take it anymore. Jane's beaming smiling ignorant face has completely glossed over the wider implications of what becoming immortal means when you are carrying the heir of the Thunder God. Jane is no Frigga. As Loki's words sink in the smile on Jane's face vanishes. Thor for once actually looks pensive. Of course he thinks Jane is up to the task, but his judgment is clouded by love. Then again, Loki was also the only one to see that Thor wasn't ready to be king 2 years ago. He's not ready to be king now. He doesn't even want the throne. Loki absently wonders what Odin is going to do. He technically has no heir right now, but when Odin finally does die, Thor is going to have to face reality and do his duty.

"Brother, I mean to ask you….what your long term plans are." Thor asks Loki.

"Beyond marrying Steven and raising our child, I have not given it any thought. Now that Steven is no longer mortal we will need to discuss our long term living arrangements. As much as the prospect makes me cringe, I know at some point I will have to return to Asgard, but that won't be for at least a couple of decades and probably longer than that. Why do you ask?" Thor pulls Loki aside to a private area out of ear shot of the others. He doesn't want to anger Jane.

"Because I am not as delusional as you think me to be. While I have no doubt about Jane's ability to be Queen I also know that she has no desire to be queen. She has no desire to live in Asgard. Though after a few decades I think I can persuade her to make the move. She could learn all the skills she would need to perform the task if given proper tutelage, but our mother is gone and you….well you are the closest thing to replacement our family has."

"Just because I'm wearing a dress doesn't mean I know how to sew Thor."

"Ah but you DO know how to sew, and are familiar with all the duties that were required of our mother."

"That is beside the point." Loki says.

"You would be a great teacher to educate Jane about our laws, customs, and history."

"Why can't you do it? She's your fiancée." Loki points out. Thor arches his eyebrows at Loki as if to say 'You know damn well I'd do a terrible job of it.' Loki sighs and Thor smiles broadly at her.

"You owe me." Loki says.

XxXxXxXx

Tony made good on his word about renovating the lower floors with record speed. Each couple has their own floor now, though Tony and Pepper's floor is still the main preferred gathering place for the group. Loki and Steve spend moving day adding personal touches to make it their own. It is no surprise to Steve that the main color theme is green, to include the nursery. As much as Loki is loathed to admit it, Jarvis is rather handy to have around, when Jarvis is wanted that is.

The evening comes and Steve and Loki find they are alone in their own living room. No one else is around. It is both refreshing and lonely. They'd become accustom to there always being a bunch of other people around to socialize. At times it was nice, but at other times it was aggravating.

"Soooo….. what should we do tonight?" Steve asks Loki.

"We have the whole place to ourselves and no one around to interrupt us." Loki smiles wickedly. Steve grins at her and pulls her in for a kiss. There is no hurry or fear of being seen. They kiss each other how they want to and where they want to. They touch and grope without shyness or hesitation.

'I wonder if the others are doing what we are doing right now…' Steve ponders absently. Loki chuckles into the kiss. 'Probably.' Loki stands up and takes her shirt off. Steve follows her example and the pair strip their bodies bare in the middle of their living room. 'Are we going to do this here?' Steve asks her. Loki thinks about it for a moment and then she thinks about what she wants to do to Steve. Loki does something she hasn't had the energy to do since coming here. She summons a clone. She summons her male clone.

A naked male version of Loki appears and Steve swallows hard. The clone leers at Steve with open lust. Steve turns back to his wife with questioning eyes, almost like he is asking permission.

"Oh darling of course you can fuck him, it's why I summoned him. I want you to put on a show for me." Loki says. She sits back down on the couch, spreads her legs, and starts touching herself. Steve slowly approaches the other Loki, but the clone is quick and pulls him in for a predatory demanding kiss. Their hardened cocks rub against one another and Steve gasps at the contact. His hands are trembling slightly and Loki knows it is because Steve feels like he is engaging in something that is very taboo and forbidden. The old ghost of shame lights Steve's eyes for desiring something he should not.

"It's alright darling. You can do whatever you want. Do you want him inside you?" Loki asks Steve. Steve nods quietly like a small child afraid to tell the truth.

"I'll take good care of you." The clone speaks to Steve. Steve's breath hitches at the sight of his former enemy. He's gotten so used to seeing Loki in her female form he sometimes forgets that she is he. The soft and loving expression on his face is a new experience for Steve. The clone pulls Steve to the floor and beckons him to get on all fours. Loki has a perfect side view to watch the clone fuck her man. She increases the tempo of her own touches. A bottle of oil appears on the coffee table and the clone snatches it up.

Steve feels vulnerable and exposed, but the waves of love and lust Loki keeps throwing at him calms his nerves. He closes his eyes when he feels exploring fingers breach his most secret place. His breathing quickens as the fingers work to stretch and prepare him for the next intrusion. He feels more oil being poured directly inside him and Steve blushes at the sensation. The fingers leave him. A large smooth object lines up with his hole and Steve knows he is about to be penetrated.

The clone pushes in slowly, not wanting to hurt his lover. Loki is panting on the couch from all her ministrations. They take their time getting used to one another. When the clone pulls out and slams back in for the first time Steve cries out in ecstasy. The rocking starts out very slow but also very controlled until Steve starts bucking backwards hungry for more thrust. The clone needs no further instruction and fucks Steve with hard wild abandon. The rhythmic movements of the clone pounding into Steven are hypnotic and primal. Steve is moaning loudly almost like a cry.

"Ahhhh…..Ahhhhhhh….Ahhhhhh…." Steve cries out. He feels so filled and stretched. It is amazing. The clone angles his cock to ensure Steve's maximum pleasure from the experience. The sounds Steven is making turns Loki on and she comes at the sight of them.

"Ah! Steven!" She yells. The clone reaches around and takes Steve in hand stroking him only a few times before he comes right into the living room carpet. The clone follows not long after. Steve's body trembles as the clone's cock pulses inside him, filling him with cream. The clone disappears.

Steve pants heavily for a moment before crawling the short distance to the couch and burying his face in Loki's crotch. He laps at her pussy, licking up her spent juices kissing her opening like he is kissing her mouth.

"How do you feel?" Loki as Steve.

"Amazing. Free." He says.

"Good. When you are ready again let me know. I'm hungry for cock too." She says.


	23. Chapter 23

Pepper calls a group meeting after receiving a call from the legal department informing her that there is a slight problem with the marriages licenses for Thor and Loki.

"You're not human, and Loki technically you're a man. If they wanted to make a stink about that they could, but the whole not human thing is definitely a problem. They won't grant either of you marriage licenses."

"Then we will have to marry on Asgard." Thor states as a matter of simplicity. Loki cringes.

"I am not getting married in the Great Hall of Golden Lies and Betrayal thank you very much! Nor am I willing to travel on the Bifrost in my current condition and I'm certain Jane agrees." Loki argues.

"Then we can bring the temple priest to us." Thor counters.

"Oh sure, and Odin will look the other way as we have a Vegas style elopement on stairs of City Hall! We may as well do a drive through at the Chapel of Love." Loki says sarcastically.

"Then we make an appeal to the public for support." Tony says. Everyone turns to look at him. "Look it's you two. The way I see it the human race owes both of you a lot. It's just the two of you and you're both from Asgard. I'll make some calls to some powerful political friends of mine as well as some reporters. We all go down to City Hall as scheduled and if those licenses are not there waiting for you we make a spectacle. We convince the public that a great insult to Asgard is being committed and that intergalactic war could ensue if they are not more….flexible." He explains.

"Anthony, that is rather….brilliant." Loki compliments him.

"Hey, you're not the only God of Chaos and Mischief around here, and I excel at making politicians lives a living hell." Tony boasts. Tony does just that. He calls the Mayor of New York City, both Senators for his State, and few other connections in government and lets them know that this gesture of good will with the all-powerful realm of Asgard would be prudent. Then Tony drags Jane and Steve onto the news so that the American people may see their plight.

"Loki is pregnant with my daughter and I want to make an honest woman of her. Our daughter will be blessed with special powers to protect our 'realm' so to speak, and was conceived out of the magnificent act her mother and I committed to save the human race. A marriage license is a small thing for us to ask for in return." Steve says. Jane makes her appeal to the people as well, stating that she does not want the future king of Asgard to be born a bastard and that for Thor to not marry her would mean dishonor for the whole family. The imagination of the country erupts at the revelation that a human woman will be the future Queen of Asgard. Her new social media status as princess is immediate.

By the following day, officials from countries around the globe are making offers to formalize their wedding vows. Norway, Sweden, and Finland all practically beg Thor to marry Jane in one of their countries. The response to Loki and Steve is more mixed and muted as many still have lingering anger and doubts toward Loki. The fact that Loki is only temporarily a woman and killed dozens of humans during his last visit to earth has not been forgotten in spite of saving the whole human race. Some even question whether there was ever any real danger. Yet the love for Captain America is still great and his words carry authority. Within hours special licenses are granted for the two couples by the City, County, and State of New York.

The day arrives and all five couples ride in a limo down to City Hall and are greeted with large crowds and great fanfare. Despite their hesitation Maria and Bruce have decided to go through with this marriage. It's not like they can't get divorced and they are already living together and have a baby on the way. What difference does a piece of paper make at this point?

The ladies are all wearing white dresses of some nature, though none of them could be called wedding dresses. They men are all dressed in nice suits and every one of them has the rings stashed in their pocket. There is a media riot and a lightning storm of camera flashes as each couple parades into the building. Loki made damn sure to look every inch the princess she is, complete with a beautiful (albeit admittedly cheesy) tiara. Her dress is sleek and curve hugging. Jane does not possess the title of princess yet.

The Mayor of New York is there for a nice photo op and each couple takes their turn speaking their vows before the judge. Tony visibly sweats as he speaks his vows to Pepper, both fearing commitment and Pepper leaving him in equal measure. Clint and Natasha go next and both speak the standard vows before sharing a short sweet kiss. If Natasha's lip trembles a little from holding back tears no one mentions it. Bruce and Maria go next. Having been through some amazing highs and lows over the past few weeks this ceremony feels rather calm for the couple. When Thor and Jane step up Thor pulls a ribbon out of his pocket along with a ring. He binds their hands together and after both speak their Midgardian vows, Thor speaks his Asgardian vows as well. Jane repeats them in Asgardian also, understanding the basic gist of the words if not the exact translation. The ribbon shimmers and disappears into their skin and their marriage is now a binding magical contract. Steve frowns realizing that he doesn't have a ribbon.

"Loki?"

"I brought one for us as well, but only if you want to." Loki says.

"Why didn't you ask me before now?"

"It is easier to explain if seen first. If you do this you'll become a prince of the realm of Asgard. Is that something you want?"

"Would it make you happy?"

"Infinitely happy, yes." Loki replies.

"Then yes."

XxXxXxXx

Life calms down at the Avenger's Tower for a while. Sunday morning breakfasts on Tony's floor become and all husband affair for several weeks as all the women suffer from terrible morning sickness and couldn't stand the stench of scrambled eggs. To be frank, the guys are thankful for the reprieve.

"So nobody here is getting blowjobs right? I mean, the gag reflex has gotten pretty horrendous." Tony asks.

"If Pepper hears you talking about that shit we are all screwed." Clint interjects. "And no, we're not getting any either." He adds.

"I don't know how they can all vomit one minute and then congregate in the kitchen the next. I swear to god I saw Maria eating mint chip ice cream, a dill pickle, and a can of smoked oysters all in one sitting. She can eat that but she can't stomach the smell of hot dogs?" Bruce exclaims. The men all make sounds of disapproval and disgust. Pregnant women are just weird, wrong, angry creatures that cry for no reason, demand sex, and then cry while having sex because they feel fat. Who and what did they marry?

"Jane has become completely irrational. No matter what I do I am wrong. I'd rather face an enemy on the battlefield than face her wrath." Thor says half serious. Jane kind of scares him these days.

"Loki is worse. She veers from one extreme to another. One minute she is ripping me to pieces for the tiniest stuff and then the next she is cuddling all over me because she's afraid I'll leave her." Steve says, although 'cuddling' is to put it mildly. Unlike the others, Steve IS still getting blowjobs, multiple times a day in fact. Usually after Loki has screamed at him for some ridiculous grievance. She swings wildly from unprovoked anger to fear of abandonment and then to fitful tears of shame over her lack of self-control. Steve means to make love to her tonight to try and assuage those fears. This is just a phase and it will pass.

"Tell me about it. Maria was watching some airline commercial and burst into tears because it was sad." Bruce says.

"It's just the hormones. They'll be fine once the pregnancy is over." Clint says.

"Oh yeah? How's Natasha doing with the whole wave of hormones?" Tony asks him, because Pepper is a tearful train wreck.

"She's…..fine." Clint says.

She's not fine. Natasha has been bursting into tears just like the others at the drop of a hat, not that he'd ever tell another living soul that. Natasha manages to keep it together just long enough to get back to their floor before she lets loose. Usually by then she is hysterical.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!" She freaks out as the tears come unhindered. She can't stop. No matter what she does she can't stop crying. "Knock me out!" She'd yelled at Clint this morning. Clint reminded her that hurting her would harm the baby, and then she cried because she's already a bad mother.

"You okay man?" Tony asks Clint, pulling him back to the present. Tony looks around the table and makes a quick jog to the bar, bringing back a large bottle of vodka. "Here, pour this into your O.J. guys. You all look like you need it. I know I fucking do!" Tony says as he pours a long stream into his beverage. Cap appreciates the sentiment, but for him there'd be no point.


	24. Chapter 24

"Steven wake-up!" Loki nudges him as she turns on the light.

"Mmmph? What?"

"It's time. The baby is coming." Loki says. Steve bolts up. Okay. They've planned ahead for this. They have their overnight bag already packed and ready to go.

"Jarvis…." Steve says in his Captain's voice.

"I have already arranged for five town cars sir. They will all arrive in 10 minutes."

"Five? Why five?" Steve asks.

"Because Mrs. Stark, Mrs. Banner, Mrs. Odinson, and Mrs. Barton are all also in labor as well."

"That's gotta be a magic thing." Steve says.

"You're not wrong." Loki says as she waddles to the bathroom to pee.

"Tony? You up?" Steve asks to the air.

"Yeah man. Everyone is. Rendezvous to the cars in 10 minutes. I've already put a call in to the maternity ward at Sacred Heart. I reserved an entire floor for all of us in advance."

"How much did that cost?" Steve asks.

"You don't want to know." They all more or less emerge at the same time in the living room. They split into two groups since they all can't fit into the elevator at once. All the ladies have their contractions at the same time. The sound of synchronized Lamaze makes Tony and Thor chuckle. The women all frown at them. Clint looks pasty white.

"$50 says Barton collapses the first time she screams." Tony whispers to Bruce.

"$50 says he passes out before then." Bruce says. Tony nods and then smiles. Each couple claims a car and they all convoy to the hospital. The paparazzi have been staking out every hospital in town for weeks on the off chance that they catch one of the Mrs. Avengers on her way in to give birth. Tonight is Greg Jackson's lucky night. As he smashes his cigarette underfoot he catches site of five black identical cars all pulling up to the front of the hospital. There are five nurses with five wheelchairs at the ready and a greedy smile spreads across his face as he readies his camera for the payoff of the century. His flash goes off as one by one car doors open and the Avengers climb out, quickly followed by very pregnant ladies in the throes of a painful contraction. What's more, Loki is blue, Maria's wings are out, Natasha is sprouting vines and flowers, Pepper's whole body is smoking, and Jane's legs are covered in scales and her fingers and toes are webbed together.

"Get Jane in a tub, she's going to need a water birth! Tony-tell the doctors to fetch oven mitts, preferably firefighter mitts, so they can touch Pepper and her baby. Maria will probably need a c-section, the wings won't fit."

"There weren't any wings in the ultrasound!" Maria yells between breaths.

"They need to do another one!"

"What about me?" Natasha yells.

"Keep the hedges trimmed. You'll be fine." The staff wheels the women upstairs with the men following close behind. Pepper's OBGYN pages for a doctor from the burn unit to come and assist. He's not sure how'll he'll assist. He'll probably wind up treating him! Maria's OBGYN makes a phone call to an old college friend that is a veterinarian. He's agreed to come in to assist with both Maria and Jane. Four of the five ladies are put into stir-ups while Jane is led into a birthing tub. Her legs fuse together into a fish tail immediately and the doctor panics. Where the hell is the baby going to come out? Jane rolls over onto her tummy in the water and a large gaping oozing hole appears just beneath her rear. The doctor passes out.

"Shit! He can't do that! THOR!" Jane yells as tears stream down her face. She's scared. What the hell are they going to do now?

Loki instructs the doctor to triple glove his hands to protect them from frost bite. Loki has been working with her doctor throughout the pregnancy, educating him on her non-human anatomy. The problem is **her** doctor has yet to make an appearance and Loki is starting to panic.

"Where is Dr. Thompson?" She shouts.

"He is stuck at a bridge. The ferry gate is up."

"That is unacceptable! Steven, do you think Tony or Thor could go fetch him and bring him here?"

"Loki no-they aren't going to leave with Pepper and Jane in the same state. We have to call someone else. Nick! I'll call Nick." Steve whips out his cell and gives Nick a new mission. Locate and secure Dr. Thompson and get his ass to Sacred Heart ASAP!

The fire alarms go off and the hallway fills with water. It is coming from Pepper's room. All the electronic equipment her room shorts out and everyone gets drenched. Loki is forced to deploy her magic to clean up the mess. She chants some words and a green ball of energy goes through the wall into Pepper's room. Everything is clean and dry and back the way it should be. Pepper is literally steaming.

"Tell Pepper she is going to have to focus her magic during her entire labor if she wants to keep that from happening again." She orders Steven. Tony is frustrated and feels helpless.

The ultrasound on Maria is done and the baby did indeed sprout wings. She is being wheeled into the O.R. for a c-section. What any other person would consider a luxury would now be called a necessity. The staff cannot imagine the pandemonium that would have transpired if these women were all in the regular maternity ward with normal people.

"Would somebody go find one of the grounds keepers and borrow their hedge clippers. Try to sterilize them if you can!" Natasha's doctor says. She's turning into a damn rose bush, which would be funny if the doctor wasn't also getting pricked with thorns every time he tries to check her. They could hurt the baby too when it comes out.

Inside each delivery room a little soap opera plays out. Eventually the veterinarian comes and gives Maria and her baby his blessing. They don't really need him. Jane on the other hand does need him. He's used to cats and dogs, but is thankful for his internship at SeaWorld that one summer. A new ultrasound is done to figure out what exactly they are dealing with. From what he can tell things are progressing as they should. Given the new and different terrain a c-section should be avoided since the regular doctors won't know exactly where to cut. The baby's heart beat is strong and Jane is dilating at a good and steady rate. Jane will have to tuck what are essentially her knees up to her face and push when the time comes.

Loki, not surprisingly, is the first to give birth. She comes out screaming to high heaven. It becomes obvious from her paper white skin and hair that she is albino, save for her eyes. They are so blue they practically glow.

"What happened to the red hair?" Steve asks.

"I was certain it would be red. I had a vision. She would have hair the shade of the red rose and we would name her for that. I don't…I don't understand." Loki says looking confused. It's not that she's disappointed, she's just surprised. Steve smiles. His gut tells him this will not be their last visit to the maternity ward.

"You're incredible." Steve says to Loki. Loki's skin quickly turns back to its creamy white paler, though her whole body is still trembling from the pain. They didn't want to risk using human drugs on a non-human. "What should we name her then?" Steve asks her.

"I like Aralia." Loki says.

"Aralia. I like it." Steve says. He kisses Loki's hair as the little family cuddles up on the hospital bed together. The baby coos and opens her eyes to her mother and father. She is beautiful.

Maria was the only one lucky to get anesthesia. She gave birth to a beautiful son with black hair, green eyes, and black wings with green tips. His wings are permanent. They don't fall away like Maria's do. Maria will have to take up sewing to alter the baby's clothes. Bruce holds their son as they stitch Maria back up. The boy's eyes are really green, like emeralds. The nurses were worried about how exactly to swaddle the child, but after some examination and trial and error they figure it out.

Half way through Pepper's labor the fire department showed up and the big burly men were quickly drafted to act as nurses. The doctor stole a pair of mitts from one of them and when Tony's daughter Aurora came out she was caught with all the ginger handling of a hot potato. Her brown hair and brown eyes are the spitting image of her father. Mother and child both quickly cooled down once the ordeal was over and the doctor was able to examine them properly. Both are in good health.

At the high point of Natasha's labor the branches and vines fell away on their own and the doctor was able to assist with no problems or obstacles. Clint passed out right on cue when Natasha screamed the first time. Bruce owes Tony $50. Tatiana Barton is a bald blue eyed child with downy soft hair that will eventually come in blonde.

Jane's baby is a healthy blonde haired blue eyed carbon copy of his father, except for the hidden gills behind his ears. The boy can breathe both air and water. His fingers and toes are webbed and will always be so. Where Thor is the God of Thunder and Lightning, his son is the God of the Sea. A new Triton, a new Neptune, a new Poseidon. Thor names him Aegir. Aegir Thorson. Jane hates the name but Thor insists, he will be the King of Asgard after him and his name fits his physical appearance he says. Jane is too tired to argue.

The whole crew spends the entire day resting in their hospital rooms. The following afternoon they all go home to the Avenger's Tower to begin their new lives as parents to a new generation of Gods and heroes.

**So I know you guys are going to say, "But wait! I want more! What about Asgard and the kids childhoods and Steve/Loki sexy daddy time?" Fret not. This story line needed to end and there is enough left over stuff that warrants a sequel. I just need to think up a plot line and figure out who the villian will be. Feel free to send me ideas, I need some. **


End file.
